The Red Cross is on the ground in Haiti, doing what it does best – providing aid to victims of disaster. The American Red Cross is part of the broader and coordinated Red Cross and Red Crescent network with more than 400 workers from at least 30 countries on the ground in Haiti. Of that, more than 100 are representing the American Red Cross, including the Creole interpreters on the UNSN Comfort. Since Jan. 12th Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the world have kicked into action and to date workers from 136 societies are coordinating with other national and international sister organizations to solve almost insurmountable logistical problems in providing aid to the people of this devastated country.

This relief effort is already the largest single-country personnel deployment in global Red Cross history. The number of emergency response teams in or en route to Haiti equals those that responded to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, an emergency that spanned 14 countries. Each Red Cross team has its own roles and expertise, and they are working together. That is a very powerful engine for relief. 

Logistical bottlenecks remain and will continue for weeks to come, but as of Jan. 25, American Red Cross volunteers on the ground say, “Haiti is coming back to life.”  Haitians are starting to set up markets, selling and buying what local food and produce is available. Many victims have fled Port-au-Prince and are returning to their homes in the countryside with the aim of rebuilding their lives.  

In Haiti, Red Cross leaders from around the world are working with the U.S. government to find ways to get much needed aid through the bottlenecks and into the hands of the Haitian people in the cities and countryside and slowly, supplies are getting through. So far, more than 32 flights carrying Red Cross aid have arrived in Haiti and more are expected every day. This week approximately 3 million prepackaged meals from the American Red Cross will arrive, and through the World Food Program, they will be distributed to survivors.

Together with relief partners like the International Organization for Migration, the Red Cross is helping meet temporary shelter needs, whether in camps or in spontaneous settlements throughout the capital city. To date — and that is changing by the hour — the American Red Cross and its partners on the ground were able to provide 1,900 families, 9,500 people, with basic supplies like tarps, hygiene kits, water purification tablets and blankets.

The American Red Cross is also coordinating shipments of blood and blood products to Haiti. Red Cross responders from eight countries are treating injuries and performing surgery at hospitals and medical centers throughout the capital city. Others are focused on purifying the water supply available in the country and expect to deliver clean drinking water to 200,000 people, 27 settlements, each day by truck. More than 1 million liters of water has been distributed. Local Haitian Red Cross volunteers are providing emotional support for traumatized survivors and responders as well as first aid support.

The International Committee of the Red Cross is providing a family links Web site, www.icrc.org/familylinks, to help reconnect separated families and has received more than 25,000 registrations since the earthquake. Approximately 500 names have been removed from the site after families were successfully reconnected. The Red Cross has set up posts, helping 900 people make international phone calls to their families to say they are safe.

The response from the American people in support of Red Cross efforts in Haiti has been incredible. The Red Cross is able to respond to disasters such as the Haiti earthquake because of the generosity of the American public. Right now, the Red Cross is projecting a three to five year involvement in the reconstruction of Haiti, which was already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. That will take a lot of monetary support from the American public. Please consider donating for the next phase of this disaster.

People can donate in support of the Red Cross effort in Haiti at www.redcross.org or by calling 1-800-REDCROSS. Mobile donors can text “Haiti” to 90999 to make a $10 contribution. A $10 donation made through mobile giving can provide a family with two water cans to store clean drinking water, basic first aid supplies or a blanket appropriate to the climate. What took minutes to destroy will take many years and the collective support from governments and relief agencies across the world to help mend.

K Minnix is the Communications Director of the Tompkins County Chapter of the American Red Cross. Email her at kminnix@tompkins-redcross.org