Hope for Desperate Situation in Haiti

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Tuesday, January 19, 2010 – There are more than 400 Red Cross workers from around the world in Haiti and additional financial help is on the way from donations made to the International Response Fund via the Finger Lakes Region of NY.“Donations raised from the Greater Rochester community is up to $365,740,” said John Buttrill, CEO of the Finger Lakes Region of the American Red Cross. “Haiti is going to require a massive long term relief and development, and the Red Cross will be there to help. The donations made from the Finger Lakes Region are reaching the hand of those who need it most.”Red Cross phone banks will be open from 9 am to 7 pm though this Wednesday for people to call in and make financial donations, which will go to help survivors of the earthquake in Haiti. After 7 p.m. donations can be accepted by calling 1-800-REDCROSS or by going to www.RochesterRedCross.org.RED CROSS SERVICE INFORMATIONEmotional Health documents are available at www.RochesterRedCross.org in English and Creole for people that may need assistance dealing with stress during and after disaster.In the days ahead, the American Red Cross will provide supplies for temporary shelters in Haiti. Kits, containing wood, tarps, rope and tools, as well as tents and blankets, will be made available for an initial 20,000 families.A Red Cross field hospital has been set up at Hospital Universitaire d’Haiti in downtown Port-au-Prince and another is expected to reach Haiti today. Each field hospital can provide surgical and medical care for up to 250,000, and each Basic Healthcare ERU can provide curative and preventive health care to up to 30,000 people.The Red Cross has is training and recruiting approximately 100 Creole-speaking volunteers to work as translators on the USNS (United States Navy Ship) Comfort, where Haitians will be brought aboard for medical care.People trying to locate U.S. citizens living or traveling in Haiti should contact the U.S. Department of State, Office of Overseas Citizens Services, at 1-888-407-4747 or (202) 647-5225.International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is helping reconnect separated families in Haiti. People in Haiti and outside the country can register the names of relatives missing since the earthquake at http://www.icrc.org/familylinks.As of January 17, more than 22,000 people had registered with the ICRC’s family linking website. Almost all of the registrations were from people searching for news about their relatives, although around 1,500 people have so far used the site to say they are safe and well.HOW TO HELPThe American Red Cross is only accepting monetary donations. Call 585-241-4417 to make a credit card donation by phoneSend a check payable to:American Red Cross International Response FundP.O. Box 14390Rochester, NY 14614-0390* Text “HAITI” to 90999 and a $10 donation will be made to the American Red Cross International Response Fund for Haiti relief.