Haiti Disaster Relief
January 29, 2010
MEMA PROVIDES ASSISTANCE TO FLORIDA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency has deployed a seven member team to the Florida Emergency Management Headquarters in Tallahassee to assist with relief efforts to Haitians. Florida has been inundated with Haitian refugees since a massive 7.0 earthquake devastated the country two weeks ago. MEMA staff will help with human services, operations, planning and public information as Florida continues to aid the injured and provide housing for those affected by the earthquake.
January 19, 2010
172ND AIRLIFT WING CONTINUES SUPPORT OF HAITI RELIEF EFFORT
The Mississippi Air National Guard’s 172nd Airlift Wing (AW) has flown four humanitarian support missions to Haiti since January 14. Two 172nd AW C-17 aircraft have evacuated approximately 170 individuals to safety and transported over 116 tons of Department of Health and Human Services rescue personnel, medical supplies, and heavy equipment.
January 15, 2010
SUMMARY OF THE WHITE HOUSE UPDATE ON HAITI
Buddy Bynum, communications director for Governor Haley Barbour, just participated in a conference call with officials at The White House, National Security Council, and State Department, and reports following highlights.
January 14, 2010
MISSISSIPPI RESPONDING TO HAITI RELIEF EFFORTS
Governor Haley Barbour is directing the response of Mississippi state agencies to help people in the beleaguered nation of Haiti, whose country was rocked by a devastating earthquake on January 12.
Ways to help
The best way to help is to donate financially to organizations responding to a disaster. Cash allows relief workers to obtain precisely what is needed in a disaster situation and ensure donations are culturally, dietary and environmentally appropriate. Donations of water, clothing and generators may not be useful at this time as the country does not have the infrastructure to distribute such items.
Organizations accepting donations:
- The American Red Cross is accepting donations through its International Response Fund. For more information, call 1-800-HELP-NOW or visit www.redcross.org.
- The Salvation Army also will accept donations to assist relief efforts. For more information, visit www.salvationarmy.org.
- Small organizations and individuals interested in donating large items, such as a plane, a team of doctors, portable generators, or large-scale water purification equipment, can contact the Center for International Disaster Information at www.cidi.org. The Center for International Disaster Information is a partner organization of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) that can help put usable donations on the ground in Haiti.
- USAID's interactive website, which has a list of non-governmental organizations and instructions on how to help, is at www.usaid.gov.
- For a more comprehensive list of organizations, please visit www.interaction.org/crisis-list/earthquake-haiti.
- States and local elected officials who wish to offer assistance should and put in the subject line “Donation of XXXX” to indicate what is the service being offered.
If there is desire to utilize the services offered, you will get either a follow-up phone call or e-mail message.
To contact Americans in Haiti:
To contact American citizens in Haiti, please write the U.S. State Department at . According to the State Department, the following information is needed:
- The full name, date of birth and passport information (if known) of the persons in Haiti you are trying to contact.
- Their contact information in Haiti; telephone numbers, email address, hotel name or address (if known)
- Your name and contact information, and your relationship to the person in Haiti (parent, spouse, friend etc.)
- Any special or emergency circumstances.
To relay information about Americans in Haiti, call 1-888-407-4747.
For more information, visit the U.S. State Department at www.state.gov/p/wha/ci/ha/earthquake/index.htm or the White House at www.whitehouse.gov/HaitiEarthquake.