ADRA-UK News Update

A strong aftershock struck near Port-au-Prince this morning causing heightened anxiety among the local population, including thousands of displaced survivors from last week’s disastrous earthquake who are receiving emergency assistance from the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), reported agency staff in Haiti.

“It is still not safe to go home. I don’t think it will ever be,” said Michel, 26, a man who is among an estimated 25,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) staying in temporary shelters on the campus of the Haitian Adventist University and the Adventist Hospital of Haiti in Carrefour, a neighborhood in Port-au-Prince, where ADRA has set-up a command center.

The magnitude-6.1 quake follows a more powerful seism that leveled large areas of Haiti’s capital on January 12 forcing high numbers of city residents to become displaced.

“Thousands of people remain in makeshift camps where the food and sanitation situation is precarious,” said Richard Jaqua, a staff member who is helping to coordinate the logistics for ADRA’s emergency response in Haiti.

On January 18, ADRA distributed nearly 13,000 rations of high-energy nutritional biscuits donated by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in several sites in Port-au-Prince, primarily to the thousands of IDPs staying on the grounds of the university and hospital. Each ration contains enough food for a person for five days. The distribution of food aid is crucial as supplies in the capital’s stores and marketplaces have become limited and extremely expensive, reported Jaqua.

Among ADRA’s other primary concerns are the provision of clean drinking water, sanitation, and medical assistance to the group of displaced persons.

Already, ADRA, working with a team from Canada-based partner GlobalMedic, has set up a water distribution center to serve the 25,000 displaced persons on the university campus, and three new water points in the area. This will enhance ADRA’s water distribution capacity significantly.

Due to limited sources of energy and battery supply, ADRA staff have had to find alternative means to generate enough power to operate the water systems. In some cases, motorcycles were used to power the units, according to a staff member.

ADRA also plans to increase the number of water points in the region, providing 20 additional ones, and expects to distribute more water supplies provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Already, beneficiaries are receiving thousands of water purification tablets. Each tablet can purify a liter of water in 20 minutes.

In addition, sanitation, which has already become critical among the thousands of IDPs, will likely improve with the initial construction of 60 latrines.

ADRA will distribute a shipment of 1,000 pounds of medical supplies received from International Aid, and medical supplies worth $15,000 donated by Heart to Heart International. Other partners include Food for the Poor, which is working with ADRA to distribute medical and food supplies; Johanniter International, a non-profit association that provided medical supplies for hospital staff; GARSA, a Colombian rescue and relief group in partnership with ADRA Colombia; International Relief and Development (IRD); and donors in Puerto Rico.

To continue to improve the speed and fluidity of relief operations, ADRA will provide distribution training for its volunteers. The procurement of additional food and medical supplies is ongoing.

ADRA network partners, who have pledged $572,000 for the initial response, include ADRA International, ADRA New Zealand, ADRA Czech Republic, ADRA United Kingdom, ADRA Australia, ADRA China, ADRA Denmark, ADRA Switzerland, ADRA Norway, ADRA Canada, ADRA Ireland, ADRA Portugal, ADRA Sweden, ADRA Netherlands, ADRA Austria, and ADRA Japan.

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Source: ADRA International

Survivors examine the devastation left by the earthquake in one of the hardest-hit areas of Port-au-Prince. (Photo Credit: Matt Herzel/ADRA International)

Extensive displacement and the lack of clean drinking water in Haiti’s devastated capital of Port-au-Prince are rapidly contributing toward a mounting humanitarian crisis, as survivors struggle to find water access and safe areas to stay four days after a powerful quake struck the city and surrounding rural communities, according to an Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) emergency response team that arrived in the Haitian capital yesterday.

“Water is at a premium,” says Raymond Chevalier, who is helping coordinate the logistics for ADRA’s emergency response in Haiti. “In the following days, we expect civil unrest to grow especially in some of the overcrowded areas where people have sought shelter, unless an abundant supply of water and other forms of aid are quickly made available to them.”

In Haiti, particularly in Port-au-Prince, water and sanitation are a priority, given that normally only 50 percent of the country’s population has access to clean drinking water, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In addition, makeshift camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) have sprung up throughout different parts of the city, including on the grounds of the presidential palace, ADRA staff reported.

“Preliminary estimates from our UN emergency teams show widespread damage to infrastructure in Port au Prince and other affected areas, with as many as 50 percent of buildings in the worst-hit areas damaged or destroyed,” said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a statement yesterday. “A high proportion of the 3 million people in the capital area are without access to food, water, shelter and electricity.”

ADRA is staging relief operations at the campus of the Haitian Adventist University in Carrefour, located in Port-au-Prince, where some 30,000 IDPs have sought refuge since the quake struck on January 12.

ADRA partner GlobalMedic is already working to distribute more than 2 million water purification tablets and other water cleaning systems. A new shipment of purification tablets and oral rehydration salts will be airlifted tonight from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport to Haiti. In addition, a team of doctors and emergency specialists has already begun providing medical assistance to the injured. The group plans to set-up a 22 ft. x 42 ft. inflatable field hospital to focus on restoring medical services and infrastructure. Local aid groups will receive training on the installation, operation and maintenance of the gear so that it remains operational for as long as it is need.

Go to Time.com to read a full account of ADRA’s emergency response arriving in Haiti.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that Port-au-Prince is filled with displaced people who are fearful of returning to their homes due to the high risk of more tremors and further building collapse. Thousands of people are sleeping in the open at night in areas where the bodies have not been buried or recovered. Damage to water sources, infrastructure, electricity grid and telecommunications also has been severe.

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Friday morning, ADRA’s emergency response team approaches the international border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti. (Photo Credit: John Torres/ADRA International)

An international emergency response team from the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) arrived in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, this afternoon after entering from the Dominican Republic, bringing with them water treatment systems, tents, mobile clinics, and medical personnel to help alleviate a growing humanitarian crisis.

The group, which departed the Dominican Republic’s capital of Santo Domingo early Friday, January 15, arrived at the border town of Jimani, about 150 miles from Port-au-Prince, during late morning to find scores of Haitian refugees entering the Dominican Republic on foot and by car in search of medical care at a local medical clinic. According to a first hand report, severely injured survivors were being airlifted from Haiti aboard helicopters and brought to Jimani, which serves as one of two main cross border thoroughfares, where a unit from the Puerto Rico U.S. Air National Guard has set-up a command center.

“There are a lot of people leaving Haiti. Many are injured, including children, and they need immediate assistance,” said John Torres, Senior Public Relations Manager for ADRA International, who is traveling with the team.

According to Torres, the situation on the ground is dismal, especially in Port-au-Prince where the team arrived at approximately 3:30pm local time. Buildings have been destroyed, fuel shortages are widespread, and the humanitarian situation has become severe.

“There are a lot of dead people,” said Torres while driving through Port-au-Prince Friday afternoon aboard an ADRA convoy. “It looks like the city has been bombed. People are trying to dig by hand and move the crushed concrete. On the grounds of the presidential palace, thousands of people are staying in makeshift shelters.”

During its initial response, the agency expects to distribute more than 2 million water purification tablets, provide medical treatment through a team of doctors and emergency medical technicians, and dispense antibiotics, over-the-counter medications, and other medical assistance. ADRA has already committed $1 million to its response in Haiti, and more aid is expected to arrive shortly.

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As the humanitarian crisis continues to grow in quake-hit Haiti, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has expanded its relief efforts by committing US$1 million worth of emergency aid to assist survivors in the hardest hit areas.

”As an organization, we recognize the urgency that this disaster demands, and press forward to meet the most immediate needs of survivors,” said Charles Sandefur, president of ADRA International. “We will continue to do everything possible to alleviate the suffering of those affected in this incredible tragedy.”

As part of ADRA’s immediate response, an emergency assessment team also traveled to Port-au-Prince to begin coordinating the distribution of aid in the region. The group is expected to arrive in Haiti on Friday, January 15, to support the operations on the ground.

“On our way to Haiti, the expressions of solidarity from everyone we’ve met have been inspiring. People are encouraging and genuinely emotional regarding the events surrounding the earthquake,” said John Torres, a member of the ADRA International team headed to Haiti.

ADRA is partnering with Toronto-based Global Medic to provide medical aid for survivors through four mobile medical clinics, each of which can assist up to 1,000 patients a day. Survivors will receive other emergency items, such as water purification tablets, water treatment packets, and oral rehydration salt units. Water purification units and a portable water tester will also be available. These water treatment methods will provide clean drinking water for an estimated 90,000 people a day.

A donation of medical supplies from Heart to Heart International will help ADRA provide assistance to as many as 800 people. Supplies include antibiotics, vitamins, vinyl gloves, and over-the-counter pain relief medication.

ADRA network offices have already committed an estimated US$100,000 toward the Haiti response. Funders include ADRA United Kingdom, ADRA Switzerland, ADRA Norway, ADRA Canada, and ADRA Portugal.

The quake, which struck at 16:53 local time (21:53 GMT) and approximately 10 miles (15 km) southwest of the capital Port-au-Prince, is the strongest to hit Haiti in more than 200 years. It was followed by two powerful aftershocks registering at a magnitude of 5.9 and 5.5, respectively. As a result, the damage to infrastructure, including bridges, buildings, phone and power lines, has been severe.

Updates will be released as ADRA’s response efforts expand.

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For donations by telephone call 0870-49 55 808 (only during office hours).

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is launching an immediate response following a devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake on January 12 that leveled much of Haiti’s capital, affecting an estimated 3 million people, and raising fears that up to 500,000 have died, according to preliminary news reports.

“Many, many have died,” said Ketteline Israel, administrative assistant for ADRA Haiti, in a message from Port-au-Prince. “The country is devastated.”

“Accessibility has been difficult due to the magnitude of the situation,” said Frank Teeuwen, bureau chief for Emergency Management of ADRA International. “Roads and internal infrastructure have been severely compromised. However, we are responding as quickly as possible to avert an even greater humanitarian disaster in the wake of this tragedy.”

ADRA is launching an initial response worth $75,000 to meet the immediate needs of survivors. Funders include ADRA International and the ADRA regional office based in Miami, Florida. According to an initial assessment, the immediate needs include water purification supplies, food, temporary shelter materials, hygiene kits, and medical assistance.

ADRA is also partnering with Canada-based Global Medic to provide essential emergency items, including 4.2 million water purification tablets, 278,640 water treatment packets, 55,200 oral rehydration salt units, 20 water purification units, a portable water tester, and an inflatable field hospital. The aid is worth $142,000.

In the following days, ADRA expects to provide through these treatment methods clean water access to an estimated 90,000 people per day. The water purification packets and the tablets alone will have the combined ability to produce 1.84 million gallons (6.98 million liters) of clean drinking water. Additionally, the inflatable field hospital will have the capacity to assist 1,000 patients per day, and 4,500 people will be able to be treated with the oral rehydration salts.

ADRA is coordinating with the Overseas Medical Assistance Team (OMAT) to send a medical group to Haiti. OMAT, which provides medical care to impoverished communities in various Caribbean countries, is lead by Dr. Stephen S. Carryl, chairman of surgery at The Brooklyn Hospital.

The quake, which struck at 16:53 local time (21:53 GMT) and approximately 10 miles (15 km) southwest of the capital Port-au-Prince, is the strongest to hit Haiti in more than 200 years. It was followed by two powerful aftershocks registering at a magnitude of 5.9 and 5.5, respectively. As a result, the damage to infrastructure, including bridges, buildings, phone and power lines, has been severe.

Although too early to gauge the disaster’s full extent, Haitian President Rene Preval has said that thousands of people are feared dead. According to news reports, the U.S. State Department had been told to expect a “profound loss of life”.

Updates will be released as ADRA’s response efforts expand.

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For donations by telephone call 0870-49 55 808 (only during office hours).

ADRA is on the ground in Haiti, preparing for immediate relief for earthquake survivors

Families are panicking as they search for loved ones in the rubble of the massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake that destroyed large portions of Port-au-Prince, Haiti on January 11. Many children, women, and men are already mourning the loss of family members.

Homes, businesses, schools, and at least one hospital have been destroyed. ADRA is on the ground in Haiti preparing immediate response. Rescue and medical teams are forming.

“Our country is devastated. Haiti needs everything now, (food, medicines, medical personnel, clean water) nevertheless your prayers are very important. Please pray for us now,” writes Ketteline Israel, ADRA Haiti.

We know from our long experience in relief and development that in a disaster of this magnitude ADRA will program at least $1 million in the long-term, however we urgently need $500,000 in the next 7 days. We have already procured millions of water purification tablets, however we are still procuring food, generators, tents, and medicines that are desperately needed. Will you help?

ADRA has been working in Haiti for more than 30 years providing relief and development. We have a long history of improving the lives of women and children through nutritional and maternal health initiatives. Please send your gift today, to help our ADRA workers alleviate the intense suffering of a nation already in great need even before the earthquake struck.

Please donate to help!

For donations by telephone call 0870-49 55 808 (only during office hours).