Haiti Recovery

Haiti Recovery
January 13, 2010

Dear Friends,

I know you will have shared my sense of shock and sadness today as we gradually became increasingly aware of the extent of the devastation in Haiti. The loss of life and the destruction of schools and hospitals would be too much for any country to bear but when you also consider that Haiti was already the poorest nation in the Northern hemisphere, then the level of suffering is unimaginable.

As U.S. President Obama said this morning, "This is a time when we are reminded of the common humanity that we all share. With just a few hundred miles of ocean between us and a long history that binds us together, Haitians are neighbors of the Americas and here at home. So we have to be there for them in their hour of need." The President encouraged all Americans to support the urgent humanitarian efforts, even though America is experiencing tough economic times, and pledged to the people of Haiti that "you will have a friend and partner in the United States of America today and going forward."

Service For Peace is also determined to play a role in offering assistance. As the extent of the disaster continues to become more evident, the Service For Peace chapters in Santo Domingo and Miami are working with their Haitian contacts to assess the situation and to see where Service For Peace can best offer assistance. Both chapters have also begun collecting donations of medicine, clothing and food.

SFP is not equipped to be a first responder on a large scale but we will be looking at the long-term impacts and implications of the disaster and will act accordingly. Following the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean, SFP's Asian chapters spent a year working in Thailand focusing on the thousands of children who were orphaned by the disaster. We are considering a similar response in Haiti.

We know that there is very significant damage in the community of Jacmel on the south coast and this is where SFP proposes to focus its efforts. It is likely that most aid will go to Port Au Prince and this is appropriate. However, a BBC World Services report says that 20% of the buildings in Jacmel have been destroyed, including the hospital, and that 5,000 people are seeking shelter at the Jacmel airport.

SFP already has strong connections in Jacmel where we opened a community clinic last year. We were already planning a project there in March and this will now be part of the relief effort.

We will be keeping you updated on our efforts but, for now, we wanted to let you know of our plans and our commitment. We will provide additional information as the details become confirmed.

President Obama encouraged those Americans who want to support the urgent humanitarian efforts to go to www.whitehouse.gov where they can learn how to contribute. If you would like to support SFP’s efforts in Haiti, then please send donations by clicking here and specify Haiti Relief and Recovery.

Sincerely,

Charles Phillips
International President
Service For Peace

How to Help?

In response to the Haiti Earthquake, SFP members in Santo Domingo and Miami are currently organizing donations of food, clothing and medicine. The contact person in Santo Domingo is Melidad Polanco, mpolanco @ servicioparalapaz.org, 809.919.2657. In Miami, SFP is working in partnership with Miami Dade College North Campus. The contact person is Harold Silva, hsilva @ mdc.edu, 305.237.8380. The drop-off sites can be found by clicking here http://tinyurl.com/y9b4h2a.

We will soon be sending a team to Haiti to see where and how we can be most effective. An SFP team is scheduled to be working in Jacmel in March and their efforts will be directed toward disaster relief. If you would like to support SFP's efforts in Haiti, please click here to make a donation.

SFP in Louisville,KY, with a network of other organizations in the area, are collecting used shoes to be recycled in order to generate funds to build water wells and water purifiers for Haiti in the month of June. For more information or to donate contact chapter director Peter Hayes at phayes @ serviceforpeace.org.

About the Earthquake
The earthquake that devastated Haiti's capital also caused widespread destruction in the resort town of Jacmel, south of the capital, a witness said Wednesday.

"It is a complete devastation here. Personally, I am lucky to be alive," said Emmet Murphy, head of the Haitian office of the US non-governmental organization ADCI/VOCA. "I was driving back to Jacmel in the mountains when the entire mountain seemed to fall down all around me. People were panicking, a building collapsed on the roadside and a huge dust plume raised from the valley floor. Seconds later and I would have been crushed by an avalanche that blocked the road and I had to abandon the car and continue on foot," Murphy said in an email obtained by AFP.

The resort town lies south of Port-au-Prince, which was devastated Tuesday by a major 7.0-strength earthquake.

"Jacmel is a disaster zone. Many houses are collapsed or severely damaged. Everyone was on the streets when I got to town. There must be many deaths judging from the way the houses collapsed and given the poor construction practices and materials," Murphy added.

"In addition too many houses collapsed in Jacmel town, one hotel called the Peace of Mind hotel collapsed completely and we fear that many perished. This is on the road to our office in a place called Meyer." Murphy said displaced people were in urgent need of water, but it was unclear when any assistance would come their way.

COMMENTS (0)

Add new comment