No surprises here either
Haiti aid groups ask companies for cash, not goods
Relief groups are trying to address immediate needs such as clean water and medical supplies, and also are trying to keep airspace around Haiti clear for those needs.
Planes full of supplies headed to the Port-au-Prince airport on Thursday, but they arrived faster than ground crews could unload them. Aviation authorities had to restrict non-military flights from U.S. airspace because they feared the planes would run out of fuel while waiting to land.
"This is not the moment to drop a container of cinderblocks or roofing material onto the tarmac. We need to do first things first, and we're in emergency relief mode," said David Owens, vice president of corporate development for humanitarian group World Vision.
A 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti, the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, on Tuesday. The quake flattened hillsides, knocked out communication systems, blocked roads, and rendered Haiti's main seaport unusable.
Companies, including Lowe's Cos Inc, Google, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group announced donations of $1 million each to help disaster relief efforts, but aid groups said many more millions of dollars will be needed.
"Right now, as of noon eastern, we've had $2.5 million worth of donations," said World Vision spokeswoman Anne Duffy. "Our (U.S.) fund-raising goal right now is $20 million."
Troops arrived in Haiti on Thursday but U.N. peacekeepers around the city seemed overwhelmed by the enormity of the recovery task ahead.
"We just don't know what to do," a Chilean peacekeeper said. "You can see how terrible the damage is. We have not been able to get into all the areas."
The Haitian Red Cross said it believed 45,000 to 50,000 people had died and 3 million more were hurt or left homeless by the quake.
President Barack Obama said he had dispatched U.S. troops and ships to Haiti to assist in earthquake rescue and recovery efforts, and he said the United States would spend $100 million for immediate relief efforts.
"We are telling people and corporations that it is most important to give cash, and then we will figure out what the most immediate needs are," said Joy Portella, communications director for relief group Mercy Corps.
"It's hard to throw a bunch of stuff into an environment when you don't know exactly what is needed."
Shipper FedEx urged people to donate money to legitimate charities. It said it cannot accept relief shipments of aid collected by individuals or local organizations.
"Because of severe damage caused by the earthquake, our operations have been suspended into and out of the island until further notice. All customer shipments are being held in Miami until we can resume operations."
MONEY NOW, CLOTHES LATER
MoneyGram International Inc said that through January 24, it would cut fees for money transfers to Haiti. Western Union is not charging a transfer fee for any amount sent to Haiti from the United States, Canada and France for seven days, once service was re-established throughout the country.
Caryl Stern, president and CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, said in an interview on Wednesday that cash is the easiest donation to put to use in the immediate wake of disaster.
"I heard from one of our terrific partners whose in the fashion industry offering, do you need clothes? There will be a moment that clothes will be needed for children. That's not what's needed today though because then we have to go through the expense of getting them there, distributing them," she said. "We can't do that right now."
World Vision's Owens said cash would be used to buy more of the supplies that it is sending to Haiti, like hygiene kits filled with toilet paper, toothbrushes, combs and body soap.
In some instances, donations of products or services, such as shipping companies flying in supplies or health care companies donating specific medical equipment, are helpful in the early stages of the disaster, aid groups said.
"When UPS provided free transport to help us get water filtration systems to Zimbabwe during a cholera outbreak, the transportation was a really really helpful thing," said Stephanie Kurzina, vice-president for resource development at Oxfam America.
UPS said its transportation team is identifying ocean ships and aircraft that could be used to deliver goods to Haiti.
Meanwhile, Nestle Waters North America and PepsiCo Foundation are donating bottled water, while Procter & Gamble said is providing packets of water purifier.
Discount retailer Target Corp is donating $500,000 to the American Red Cross, and helping prepare more than 1 million meals that will be delivered to earthquake victims by the nonprofit organization ImpactLives.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Wednesday that it was donating $500,000 to the Red Cross and sending prepackaged food kits valued at $100,000 to Haiti.
Spokeswoman Deisha Galberth said it made the donations after discussing with the Red Cross its most urgent needs. Galberth said Wal-Mart would donate more money or supplies, like tents or food, depending on the Red Cross' needs.
"We are here, waiting for the specifics around what kind of donations are needed," she said.
UNICEF's Stern said corporations could also use the "power of their podiums" to alert the American public how they can make donations to help relief efforts.
"They're running ads every day this week, they're doing commercials, they're sponsoring programs," she said. "To the extent that they will give up air time or allow public service announcements ... that kind of stuff is a phenomenal gift."
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60E00I20100115
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