Plan helps earthquake-hit Haiti
Plan has released US$100,000 of emergency funds and is on the ground to help deal with the immediate aftermath of the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti yesterday evening.
Please help Plan USA assist those impacted by the devastating earthquake emergency in Haiti.
Plan staff reported widespread panic when the 7.0 magnitude quake and two strong aftershocks struck. It is the most powerful earthquake to have hit the island of Hispaniola in more than 200 years.
Specialist staff response
Right now, extra Plan disaster response specialists are being sent to Haiti, and staff from the neighboring Plan Dominican Republic offices have been made available to assist. So far, it has been reported that up to 3,000,000 people have been affected by the earthquake.
“The situation is terrible, people are screaming and there is a total darkness around the city,” one Plan staff member said, also adding that the Plan Haiti central office in Port-au-Prince was among those badly damaged by the earthquake and is now unsafe.
Buildings and public infrastructure, including at least one major hospital in the capital, have been destroyed or severely damaged, many houses and office buildings have collapsed, and people are reported to be trapped under the rubble. Centered to the south of the densely populated Port-au-prince area, aftershocks and collapses of damaged buildings remain a grave threat.
Assisting children and families
Plan Haiti is accounting for staff in the capital and its 10 program units, including three units in the quake zone to the south of the capital. Plan is preparing to deploy staff for assessments and emergency response starting on Wednesday.
Roger Yates, Plan Director of disasters and humanitarian response, said: “Of all the countries in the region, Haiti is the most vulnerable . . . . Our priority is assisting children and their families and getting people at risk into safe accommodation wherever possible.”
Plan will also be working to help ease the psychological trauma caused by the disaster, as well as ensuring that children are protected throughout the recovery effort.
Plan has worked with children, families, and communities in Haiti since 1973. It currently implements child-centered community development programs featuring Health, Education for Girls and Boys, HIV and AIDS, and the Rights of the Child.
Donate now to help assist those affected by the earthquake in Haiti.
Information for sponsors
We will contact sponsors directly if we receive any news about individual sponsored children. If you are planning a visit or have any particular concerns around this issue, please contact our Donor Relations staff at 1-800-556-7918.
Please visit this website for updates as more information becomes available.
