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Haiti

AmeriCares Relief Workers Arrive in Port-Au-Prince to Help Haiti

AmeriCares disaster relief experts were among the humanitarian aid workers cleared to land in Port-au-Prince, Haiti yesterday. Our aid workers are coordinating the distribution of the $5 million worth of medical aid we have sent to help Haitian survivors of a catastrophic earthquake.

Leading the team is veteran relief worker Rachel Granger, who spearheaded AmeriCares monumental Tsunami relief efforts. She and her team are working around-the-clock to get lifesaving medicines and medical supplies into the hands of medical personnel treating survivors.

"The airport is very crowded and most people are outside because the building is damaged. We are watching emergency aid being offloaded from planes as they land, though road damage and fuel availability will complicate local distribution," said Granger. "Thankfully, the strong presence of the U.S. military and U.N. peacekeepers is keeping airport operations functioning and providing a critical sense of security."

The first of many AmeriCares airlifts is scheduled to land in Haiti on Saturday. Trucks, planes and ships stocked with lifesaving aid are also being deployed to Haiti from strategic locations in the United States and abroad.

"Disaster situations can change in a moment's notice, that's why we are flexible and keep our options open," reports Christoph Gorder, AmeriCares Vice President of Emergency Response. "AmeriCares will deliver medical aid to help Haiti, from anywhere in the world in every way we can."

AmeriCares staff in the Dominican Republic are sending a convoy of trucks to deliver aid to hospitals treating Haitian refugees near the border of the two countries. The convoy will continue on to Haiti to bring additional medicines and relief supplies to hospitals and major health care facilities treating earthquake survivors.

Teams at AmeriCares U.S. headquarters in Stamford, Conn and offices in El Salvador are planning the logistics of delivering millions of bottles of water and water purification solutions to Haiti. Corporate product donors are sending critical aid to AmeriCares warehouses for our ongoing relief deliveries including surgical supplies, pain medications, antibiotics and other desperately needed medicines and medical supplies.

AmeriCares will continue to work with partner organizations to distribute the medicines and supplies to hospitals and health clinics in the affected areas. The AmeriCares relief workers will oversee the aid distribution and assess the health care needs in preparation for additional deliveries of critical medicines and medical supplies in the days, weeks and months ahead.

AmeriCares has been providing humanitarian aid to Haiti since 1984, partnering with local health care organizations throughout the country. We've delivered more that $145 million worth of medical aid and humanitarian relief to Haiti. AmeriCares helps partners serve more patients and avoid running out of basic medicines and medical supplies with regular shipments throughout the year.

For over 25 years, AmeriCares has responded with emergency relief and lifesaving aid to catastrophic disasters around the world that have affected millions of families: including Hurricane Katrina in the U.S., typhoons in the Philippines, the tsunami in Southeast Asia, earthquakes in China and Peru, and deadly cholera outbreaks in Zimbabwe.

Your gift to the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund will help with our lifesaving response to this deadly disaster.