In the evening of January 12 (Tuesday), a major earthquake of 7.0-magnitude on the Richter scale struck southern Haiti near Port-au-Prince. To date, there is no confirmed death toll, but the Haitian consul general to the United Nations has estimated the toll could hit more than 100,000. On Friday, it was reported that many of the residents in Port-au-Prince had not had food or drink since the earthquake. Meanwhile, aid is pouring in from several relief organization from various countries, including CityCare from Singapore.
A team of CityCare volunteer doctors and nurses flew out to Dominican Republic on January 15 (Friday) to meet up with American workers, where they will be airlifted by other workers from Sun Life Foundation into the epicenter of the earthquake in Haiti. Inside, they will link up with the local humanitarian agencies and the Yele foundation started by singer and music producer Wyclef Jean.
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| PHOTOS: Lam Huiching |
Haitian President Rene Preval has requested for hospitals, medicine and doctors because many of the hospitals have collapsed, and the remaining hospitals are forced to place their patients out in the open. With search and rescue being the most urgent need right now, CityCare’s volunteers and medical supplies should find themselves much in demand upon arrival. CityCare plans to send four to five more teams over the next two months. Each team will be in Haiti for 10 days, to bring as much relief as possible to the victims in Haiti.
To volunteer for upcoming trips to Haiti, email haitirelief@citycare.org.sg with your name and contact details. Kindly indicate if you have medical or nursing training.
