The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is launching a preliminary emergency appeal seeking a total of 10 million Swiss francs (10 million US dollars/6.8 million euro) to deliver assistance an initial 5,000 families affected by the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on Tuesday.
The earthquake, which reached 7.3 on the Richter scale, has primarily affected the cities of Port-au-Prince, Carrefour and Jacmel, all located in the West Province area which has an estimated population of 2.2 million.
The IFRC has deployed a Field Assessment and Coordination Team (FACT) to assess emergency and early recovery needs, including the restoration of livelihoods and permanent shelter. The team is composed of experts in logistics, emergency health, shelter, telecommunications, reporting and communication.
Emergency Response Units (ERU) specialized in relief coordination, water and sanitation, shelter, telecommunications and health is also expected in the next few days to provide much-needed support for the emergency operation, including the deployment of a field hospital with a capacity of attending to 50 patients at a time.
“The funds from this appeal will support vital relief operations and will focus on temporary shelter, restoring water and sanitation facilities and providing medical care as well as psychological support to the affected population”, said Mauricio Bustamante, IFRC Operations Coordinator in Panama.
The IFRC initially released 500,000 Swiss francs in emergency funds to support the relief operation. As more detailed information arrives from assessments, this preliminary appeal could be revised.
For more information and to arrange interviews, please contact:
In Geneva:
IFRC media and external Communications manager
Paul Conneally - + 41 79 308 98 09
Advocacy and communications Officer
Jean-Luc Martinage - + 41 79 217 33 86
Advocacy and communications Officer
Marie-Françoise Borel - + 41 79 217 3345
In Panama:
Communications manager for the IFRC Americas zone
Pilar Forcen - + 507 6672 3170
PADRU Information Officer
Manuel Rodriguez - + 507 66 79 43 34
In New York :
Communications Manager, IFRC New York
Maude Froberg - +1 646 358 24 50
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| Destruction and devastation in Haiti after the earthquake. |
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Make A Donation |
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Emergency Appeal (MDRHT008) - Pdf (515Kb)
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| A helping hand. |
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| A view of the destruction. |
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