In the aftermath of the disaster, local Red Cross staff and volunteers were immediately on the scene assisting the injured. Pre-positioned family kits were released within Haiti and from other warehouses in the region, consisting of household items, shelter kits, personal hygiene kits, blankets and containers for storing drinking water.
On the 13 January, the British Red Cross launched the Haiti Earthquake Appeal, which thanks to the generosity of donors has now raised more than £8 million. However, the sheer scale of this disaster means more money is needed for long-term recovery, which will take years rather than months.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which co-ordinates the emergency response activities of Red Cross National Societies from around the world, is appealing for £130 million to assist 400,000 people in Haiti for three years.
To date, 99 flights have arrived in Haiti or the Dominican Republic, bringing hundreds of tonnes of Red Cross aid.
The American Red Cross is providing approximately three million pre-packaged meals in partnership with the World Food Program.
Relief items, such as water containers and blankets, have been distributed to around 80,000 families.
Shelter kits are so far being distributed to 30,000 households.
More than 20 specialist emergency response units (ERUs) have been deployed from around the world, including experts in water and sanitation, logistics, IT and telecommunication infrastructure, health facilities and medical aid.
The British Red Cross logistics ERU, which was originally based in Santo Domingo to receive aid being flown into the Dominican Republic, is now in Port-au-Prince and continues to receive and distribute aid.
In total more than 600 Red Cross aid workers have been deployed to Haiti from around the world to help with the relief effort and are working alongside hundreds of Haitian Red Cross staff and volunteers who have been responding since the earthquake struck.
A British Red Cross psycho-social support team was sent to Port-au-Prince with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to provide practical help and emotional support to Britons affected by the earthquake.
Healthcare
Medical staff from six health emergency response units and a rapid deployment hospital are treating survivors. They can serve a population of 340,000.
Water is being distributed to 320,000 people each day.
Red Cross emergency health kits have been distributed to 30,000 people.
Volunteers from the Haitian and Dominican Red Cross are providing first aid.
The British Red Cross mass sanitation ERU is in Haiti providing basic sanitation and promoting good hygiene practices in order to prevent the outbreak of disease.
Around 600 latrines have been built in 12 different camps.
So far, more than 33,500 people have received health treatment by Red Cross teams.
Up to 140,000 people are benefitting from an emergency vaccination campaign against measles, diphtheria and tetanus.
Thousands of people within Haiti and abroad have lost contact with their loved ones and the ICRC has set up a special family links website to help them get in touch with each other.
Restoring family links teams have facilitated more than 2,200 phone calls for people eager to reach their relatives abroad.
The ICRC family links website currently holds over 27,000 names, including 4,400 people signalling they are alive and safe. More than 880 people have asked for names to be removed – an indication that family contacts have been restored.
Security situation
Red Cross teams are focusing their efforts on reaching the most vulnerable first. This means identifying who they are and providing relief in a manner that ensures their safety and doesn’t exacerbate their situation. There are clearly many more in need than those we are currently reaching – we are scaling up our response constantly and the more funds we get the more we are able to do.
We are closely monitoring the security situation in Haiti and based on current information, the arrival and distribution of vital Red Cross relief items has not been affected.
In the aftermath of a large-scale natural disaster there are always challenges, as roads, bridges and other infrastructure can be damaged. However, the Red Cross is experienced in responding to natural disasters, and by using experienced logistics staff we will reach the people who need our help.
In the event that we raise more money than can be reasonably and efficiently spent, any surplus funds will be used to help us prepare for and respond to other humanitarian disasters either overseas or here in the UK.
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