- Waiting for Canadian Red Cross Relief Feb. 2010 - Canadian Red Cross
On January 12, 2010, a 7.0 quake struck Haiti with the epicenter hitting just 10 miles west of Port-au-Prince. The Haiti disaster left 3 million people, almost one third of the country’s population, in need of emergency aid. There have been enormous challenges to help Haiti from the devastating earthquake. Six months later, relief is still slow and much of Port-au-Prince is still in rubble. The American and Canadian Red Cross both issued press releases providing an update on earthquake relief efforts.
Canadian Red Cross
The Canadian Red Cross stated in their July 10, 2010 press release that this is the largest single-country response in the history of the Red Cross.
Over 11,000 tonnes of aid from the Red Cross is in Haiti and over 896,000 individuals have received relief items including millions of liters of water. Emergency shelter has been provided to almost 2 million people by the Red Cross and 70 other organizations.
The Red Cross is now moving into the re-building phase of its response and they face many hurdles.
“Despite several obstacles, we have begun to build hurricane and earthquake resistant shelters in Haiti,” says Conrad Sauvé, secretary general of the Canadian Red Cross. “Removing the rubble left behind by this disaster, reaching remote areas with building materials, and obtaining permissions to build from landowners remain our main challenges to providing sturdy shelter for families.”
Haiti Relief
There has been a lot of criticism for the past six months in how people have had to continue suffering waiting for food, water and medical attention.
In an Ottawa news conference on July 12, 2010, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon urged Canadians to be patient, saying the reconstruction project is a "monumental task requiring a sustained effort and long-term commitment."
International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda stated that Canada has committed more than $1 billion to date to help Haiti, and has already disbursed $150 million for early recovery and humanitarian work.
American Red Cross President and CEO, Gail McGovern stated in “Six Months After the Earthquake, Building for the Future” that it will take 12 billion dollars to rebuild Haiti. This news release reveals that to-date the American Red Cross has collected $468 million dollars in donations.
Other donations to the Haiti disaster include:
(All figures are rounded off and in U.S. dollars.)
- Canadian Red Cross: $ 189 million dollars
- Canada: $1 billion dollars
- United States: $100 million dollars (pledged)
- Bush Clinton Haiti Fund: $ 10.5 million dollars (based on their media releases)
- Great Britain: $ 9 million dollars
- Spain: $4 million dollars
- European Commission: $4 million dollars
- Netherlands: $2.5 million
- Germany: $2 million
The Huffington Post reported on May 28, 2010 that nearly $2 billion dollars has been raised in the United States for Haitian relief.
Currently, more than one million people live in hundreds of tent cities. Many Haitians fear living in tents for the rest of their lives.
Nigel Fisher, a Canadian with the UN stabilization mission in Haiti said in an interview with C.B.C. News, "Their situation is going to become precarious as the rains start and therefore we need to switch the strategy which we are now doing from purely enabling people to survive in camps to helping them go home or go to alternative shelters.”
Further Reading:
Canada Cancels All Debt Owed by Haiti
Haiti Earthquake (The Canadian Red Cross)
Sources:
The Canadian Red Cross
The American Red Cross
New York Times: January 15, 2010; Europe Sends Aid and Pledges Money for Haiti
New York Times: January 14, 2010; Obama Pledges Aid to Haiti
C.B.C. News: July 12, 2010; Canada Defends Haiti Reconstruction Progress
C.B.C. News: July 12, 2010; Haiti’s Challenges Remain 6 Months after Quake
C.B.C. News: February 8, 2010; Canada Matches Haiti Donations with $113M
Fox News: January 13, 2010; Fast Facts: Haiti Earthquake
ClintonBushHaitiFund.org
The Huffington Post: May 28, 2010; Haiti Earthquake Relief: How You Can Help
Karen Stephenson - Karen has written for several newspapers and print media in addition to many online publications. She holds a B.A. in English and an ...
