[embefuri]

My nephew in DC is a reasonably big wig at FEMA and reports the following

There have been delays at the airport in PAP in delivering supplies because some well meaning volunteers arrived expecting that they would be fed and watered

DO NOT go into PAP unless you have a contact there with a well who will take you in

WATER is in very short supply

There are serious delays now at the border as the road has been hit.

IT now will take 7 hours from the border to get into PAP-- as opposed to one hour.

PLEASE DO GO into PAP unless you are trained first responder working with the Dominican Red CROSS

THE MOST PRESSING need now is WATER

ANYTHING that delays the WATER TRUCKS hinders the rescue efforts.

please see my blog at elizabetheames.blogspot.com for more continued updates from HAITI

kembe la

*THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.*

As I stated earlier, the desire to directly help is commendable, but now is NOT the time. Relief organizations with years of experience and training are already on the ground working and finding it very difficult, so surely an "rookie" will not help. ANY donations of food or supplies should be coordinated with organizations that have a SPECIFIC plan for them: by this I mean:
-have HISTORY of working in Haiti or with Haitian partners
-have coordinated with people on the ground, know what SPECIFICATIONS the donations must meet. (There are very specific standards that must be met regarding food, water and shelter.)
-Have the LEGAL authority to operate in the area.

I maintain that the best way to help is to send money to your organization of choice. I hate to harp on this, but having worked in the development/relief indusitry, please... LEAVE IT TO THE EXPERTS.

[DurryVony]

Things are going to get a lot worse before they get better...security is a no show..the streets are full of angry people with machetes and that's only one the dangers you can see.

[Poreponko]

Haven't read all the posts but I believe is best to wait and let the professionals do the organizing and distributing of supplies. Help will be needed down the road, after all has come down to some kind of normalcy then volunteers will be of great help in Haiti.

[tobia]

*THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.*

As I stated earlier, the desire to directly help is commendable, but now is NOT the time. Relief organizations with years of experience and training are already on the ground working and finding it very difficult, so surely an "rookie" will not help. ANY donations of food or supplies should be coordinated with organizations that have a SPECIFIC plan for them: by this I mean:
-have HISTORY of working in Haiti or with Haitian partners
-have coordinated with people on the ground, know what SPECIFICATIONS the donations must meet. (There are very specific standards that must be met regarding food, water and shelter.)
-Have the LEGAL authority to operate in the area.

I maintain that the best way to help is to send money to your organization of choice. I hate to harp on this, but having worked in the development/relief indusitry, please... LEAVE IT TO THE EXPERTS.

Absolutely agree. There are various truckloads/container loads going from the DR but hopefully these will be deposited at the Jimani help centre for onward ferrying by people who know what they are doing. Anything which causes further blockages on the road to Port au Prince & stops the water trucks getting through would be compunding the problem, not ameliorating it.

[paralelogram]

hi there, i been living in the DR, sosua for 10 years, and i would be interested to go to haiti now for up to 2 weeks to offer help, does anyone know who to contact, i have a strong will to help, and im sure there is a lot to be done.

please dont tell me to contact the un office or anything like that, i would like to get a direct contact to a person that can get me moving NOW

As all have said, at this moment you will be more of a burden than help. I am a close friend of a UN official and he tells me that right now ONLY Docs/Nurses (apart from the rescue teams which is obvious), are in need at this time (even if you are a construction worker you are not needed right now). They have to clear ground zero before they can BEGIN to help in real terms.
Give it a month and you will be more than welcome to join the professionals out there and you will have no problem in finding placement.
At this point it is like the dramatic early days of anything like this, everyone wants to be there to help.
Another point of reality is that untrained people can not deal with the things they will see, and this could in effect turn into another burden on little hands.
Only trained people are needed on a close contact basis, as only trained people are prepared and trained to deal with the reality of this kind of disaster and the things they will see.

[resegooredo]

Dominican Crossroads USA sent a team of Haitian doctors on Friday morning. They have yet to be able to cross the border. Another group of paramedics left in the evening. This group has a specific place to stay with a well. I don't anticipate hearing from them if they are successful in getting across. If they cannot make it and I hear from them, I will post that information.

[DurryVony]

Doctors are afraid for their lives and are being ordered out of some areas..
Security concerns cause doctors to leave hospital, quake victims - CNN.com

[mynaflzak]

BBC tickertape - Aid workers in Haiti are dealing with disaster 'like no other', UN official says.

This is not the time or place for amateurs. Channel your donations through organisations with existing structures, contacts and local knowledge.

[TOPERink]

the above post needs to be put in a separate thread and a sticky

Done.

http://www.dr1.com/forums/haiti-eart...lert-fema.html