Thursday, January 14, 2010

How You Can Help in Haiti

As we send forth our compassionate prayers, loving thoughts and healing energy to the suffering in Haiti, the White House Office of the Press Secretary offers the following information:

For the most up to date information throughout the coming days, please continue to monitor http://www.whitehouse.gov/HaitiEarthquake.

A top priority is accounting for the thousands of American citizens who are currently in Haiti. Families of Americans living in Haiti who are trying to find the status of their loved ones are encouraged to contact the State Department at 1-888-407-4747. This line is experiencing a high volume of calls at this time, so we ask for your continued patience.

Cash donations are the most efficient and effective way to help the relief effort in Haiti right now. They allow humanitarian organizations to purchase (often within the affected region itself) the exact type and quantity of items needed by those affected by the crisis. Read about the advantages of monetary donations here. You can immediately donate to the Red Cross to assist the relief effort. Contribute online to the Red Cross, or donate $10 to be charged to your cell phone bill by texting "HAITI" to "90999." You can also find more ways to help through the Center for International Disaster Information, or through USAID’s interactive website, which has a list of NGOs and instructions on how to help: http://www.usaid.gov/.

Right now, the airport is being used to facilitate search and rescue efforts. This is a complex and difficult environment, and all of our efforts have to be focused on prioritizing and moving the right resources into Haiti that can save lives in the next 48 hours. That is why we are encouraging private citizens to focus their efforts on supporting established aid organizations that are deploying resources to Haiti, and to hold off on traveling there themselves.

We ask that you keep track of offers of in kind services and supplies being offered in your communities in the coming days so that as needs on the ground are assessed we can quickly turn around the resources and get them to Haiti. Those looking to donate time, supplies or funds should contact the Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI) at 703-276-1914, or visit them online at http://www.cidi.org/incident/haiti-10a/.

We will have continued outreach calls on this issue as we continue to learn more about the situation on the ground and resources needed in the coming days. 

The American Nurses Association  issued the following announcement this afternoon: 

The American Nurses Association (ANA) would like to convey our deepest sympathies to those who have suffered incalculable losses. For nurses who have expressed an interest helping with the relief and recovery efforts, ANA encourages anyone interested in becoming a first responder to pre-register with one of the many disaster registries and response organizations that already exist. These groups ensure that volunteers will have access to training and will be utilized according to the appropriate response plans.  See Volunteer Now for further information. 

Best Friends Animal Society, along with other international animal welfare organizations, has joined the Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti (ARCH) . Together, they’ll be providing food, water, rabies vaccinations, safety and more for countless animals.  For updates, visit Best Friends Rapid Response.

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