BYRD'S EYE VIEW: Disaster in Haiti
By Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-WV
On January 12, 2010, a near the surface 7.0 magnitude major earthquake shook the island nation of Haiti, causing still-untold casualties and massive destruction. The pictures we have seen on a daily basis have been gut-wrenching. Many buildings have collapsed or are unstable, including hospitals, police stations, and government buildings. Millions of people are without shelter, food, power or medical care.
The U.S. government, the United Nations, many other nations, and many non-governmental relief organizations are rushing to provide humanitarian relief to the people of Haiti as quickly as possible. Our military=s U.S. Southern Command is coordinating the U.S. government response and is sending the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, four amphibious landing ships with Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, the USNS Comfort hospital ship, and additional ships, helicopter units, construction, security, civil affairs and logistical support. The Coast Guard and Air Force are also supporting the humanitarian relief efforts in Haiti.
Americans who are missing U.S. citizen family members in Haiti can call the Department of State at 1-888-407-4747 or provide information via email to
Haiti-Earthquake@State.Gov. Please include the following information in your emails: full name, date of birth and passport information (if known) of the persons in Haiti you are trying to contact; contact information in Haiti; your name and contact information; your relationship to the person in Haiti; and any special or emergency circumstances. Embassy personnel will attempt to locate U.S. citizens and report back on their status.
Disasters call forth a compassionate response from Americans, and many people are seeking ways to help. The destruction in Haiti has severely limited access to that nation, creating bottlenecks in the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Therefore, most relief organizations are requesting cash donations rather than food and material items. For those looking to make contributions to the relief efforts in Haiti, the White House has information and links at www.whitehouse.gov/haitiearthquake_embed. The web site www.interaction.org/crisis-list/earthquake-haiti provides information about non-governmental relief efforts. Visit these sites to learn more about the ways individuals can help.
Anyone with disaster response experience or other specialized technical training who wishes to volunteer his or her services should contact the Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI) at www.cidi.org/incident/haiti-10a to register.
Finally, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued a warning about scam artists who solicit funds in the name of bogus Haiti relief efforts. You can read the warning at www.fbi.gov/cyberinvest/escams.htm.
The American people have always responded to those in need. I encourage all to join in this humanitarian and life saving endeavor.