International relief agencies have today renewed their appeals for donations to help victims of the Haiti earthquake as first consignments of aid reach the devastated country.
Unicef has said its first planeload of aid containing €350,000 worth of supplies arrived late last night into Haiti. Another chartered cargo plane is expected to land later today with more tarpaulins, blankets, emergency health kits and other lifesaving supplies for those affected by Tuesday's disaster.
The charity has released a total of €2.34 million towards the relief efforts, but Unicef said it urgently needs more funding for basic medical and health supplies.
"It is clear that the consequences are severe and many children are among the victims," said Melanie Verwoerd, executive director of Unicef Ireland. "Unicef will also be focusing on children who have become separated from their families to protect them from harm or exploitation," Ms Verwoerd said.
The Irish Red Cross announced today it is sending an initial €25,000 in aid to the country from its emergency relief fund.
The society also made an emergency appeal for donations yesterday, calling on the public to give what they can to help those most vulnerable.
Noel Wardick, head of the international department of the Irish Red Cross said the funds “will go directly towards assisting those with the greatest needs in the wake of this disaster, those who have been injured and who have lost their homes and loved ones”.
Concern said it had received donations of almost €200,000 within the first 24 hours. “The Irish public is once again showing their great sense of empathy in these situations, as they did for the Pakistan earthquake and the Asian tsunami, and we offer a huge thank you to them,” Concern’s CEO Tom Arnold said.
The charity said 29 of its staff remain unaccounted for in the devastated region.
“While we have 29 staff so far unaccounted for, some of the staff we have there have lost relatives and family members. Despite this, they are rallying to help where they can but are at full stretch trying to cope with this catastrophe,” Mr Arnold added.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which has 800 people in Haiti, said it had about six Irish people on a shortlist to fly out and support teams already there.
MSF is also sending out a 100 bed hospital, with an inflatable surgical unit, consisting of two operating theatres and seven hospitalisation tents.
Trócaire says it has committed an initial €200,000 to the emergency and through its partner Caritas Haiti has provided first aid, tents and blankets to survivors of the earthquake.
Emergency programme manager Maurice McQuillan said: “Given Haiti’s vulnerability to hurricanes, Caritas Haiti are highly skilled in the provision of emergency shelter, food, health care, and clean water. Through them, Trócaire will be providing desperately needed aid.”
At least 14 disaster experts from Plan Ireland will arrive in the country later today to help the team currently on the ground.
The charity which works with 42,000 children in Haiti said it has already released more than €500,000 of emergency funds to help deal with the immediate aftermath. The agency also said it has received reports that while all its personnel are safe they do not know the status of their families yet.
Plan’s Haiti Director Rezene Tesfamariam said the devastation was on an “unimaginable” scale.
“I’ve worked for Plan for 27 years and have seen all kinds of tragedies. I’ve seen refugees fighting for their lives and floods destroy communities but I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Oxfam Ireland said it received an unprecedented number of donations in the first 24hrs of its emergency appeal and urged the public to continue their generosity and support.
The charity has a 100 strong-team working across Haiti, including 15 emergency specialists, and will be responding with public health, water and sanitation services to prevent the spread of waterborne disease.
Oxfam's humanitarian coordinator in Port au Prince Cedric Perus, described seeing “bodies all over the city”.
“People have nowhere to put them so they wrap them in sheets and cardboards in the hope that the authorities will pick them,” he added.
This evening, Goal announced it is accepting a delivery of non-food items - including jerry cans, mosquito nets, blankets, soap, generators and sleeping mats - into Port-au-Prince by air tomorrow. The organisation is also mobilising an aircraft-load of supplies from Florida.
Irish aid groups today also today unveiled a website to explain how the public can help victims of major disasters. The www.howyoucanhelp.ie website describes how Irish aid agencies and the Government respond to emergencies and presents some of the basic principles of Irish aid.
“Over the years, the Irish people have shown that they understand that when such disasters strike, immediate action is needed to save lives. But sometimes people’s wish to act swiftly interferes with the need to act effectively,” said Hans Zomer, spokesman for Dóchas, the national umbrella of Irish aid agencies.
“The How-You-Can-Help website sets out the principles of good emergency relief, and the many ways in which members of the public can assist the Irish aid agencies to do their work” he said.
The website was developed by Dóchas and sponsored by Irish Aid, the Government’s aid arm.
Links to some of the organisations seeking the public's help in aiding victims of the earthquake are listed above.
