Local organizations have responded to the crisis in Haiti following the devastation caused by the magnitude 7.0 earthquake which struck the impoverished Caribbean territory on January 12.

An emergency centre has been established at the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), 2-4 Haining Road, New Kingston, to coordinate relief assistance generated locally for Haiti. ODPEM would be responsible for streamlining all forms of assistance that would be forthcoming, to ensure that delivery and dispatch is smooth.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding extend deep sympathy to the people of Haiti on behalf of the people of Jamaica.  Golding announced that he had been in contact with President Rene Preval and assured him that all Jamaica is offering prayers that God’s mercy will take the Haitian people through the tragedy.

President of Haiti, Rene Preval, expressed  gratitude for Jamaica’s outpouring of support for his country as demonstrated by Prime Minister Golding during their meeting at the United Nations office in Port au Prince January 14.

President Preval told the Jamaican delegation which visited Haiti that medical care was urgently needed and he gave permission for Jamaica to establish a military command post in the Capital from where Jamaican aid and rebuilding efforts could operate.

Prime Minister Golding and his team visited President Preval to assess how Jamaica could best support the people of Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake.  The following are some of organizations which have responded.

• Digicel donates $5m

Telecoms giant Digicel has announced a donation of US$5 million that will go towards NGOs Haiti to support the massive relief effort to help rebuild Haiti.

The company also announced that two employees lost their lives in the earthquake.

The company will also be launching donation lines for the public to donate to the people of Haiti — this will be supported with a press, radio & TV appeal campaign.

“Digicel is deeply saddened by and concerned about the devastation caused by the magnitude 7.0 earthquake…. This is a very sad day for Digicel and for the people of Haiti and we will do whatever we can to support the desperately needed relief efforts,” the company said in a release to the media.

“The people of Haiti welcomed us and made us their own when we launched there in 2006 and we are determined to be there for them in their time of need. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Haiti and we would like to assure them that Digicel stands ready to assist in whatever way we can at this difficult time.”

The company sent a team of our technical experts to Haiti to assess exactly what the situation is on the ground and what support the team in  Haiti needs in terms of network equipment and emergency aid.

• European Commission donates £3 million

Following the devastating earthquake in Haiti, the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, offered his deepest condolences to the victims and to the people of Haiti and pledged Europe’s full support in the international relief effort.

Vice President of the EC and High Representative of the EU Catherine Ashton said:

“We are troubled by the reports on the devastating earthquake in Haiti. We are still gathering information to understand the impact on the population. My colleagues in the Commission and I offer our full assistance to Haiti and will mobilise all available instruments to support the population of Haiti in this difficult time. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families.”

VP/HR Ashton convened an EU emergency coordination meeting with Commissioners Karel De Gucht (Development and Humanitarian Aid) and Stavros Dimas (Environment, Civil Protection Mechanism) and relevant services in the Commission and the Council.

The European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO), under the responsibility of Commissioner De Gucht, and the Commission’s Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC), under the responsibility of Commissioner Dimas, is in the process of assessing the situation and the needs in order to ensure the best possible EU co-ordinated response to provide relief funding and assistance.

Following initial assessments of the situation on the ground, ECHO will use its fast-track relief funding to provide a £3 million initial package of humanitarian assistance. The funding will be used to meet basic needs of the stricken population including shelter and medical assistance. Funding is channelled through experienced international relief organisations.

• Jazz and Blues Supports quake victims

TurnKey Productions, producer of the JAMAICA Jazz and Blues Festival, has introduced a food relief programme to assist the victims of the earthquake.

“We are very emotionally close to the devastation in Haiti, our trusted Haitian born friend and colleague, Roxanne Hurley is currently on the island,” explained TurnKey Executive Producer Walter Elmore.

Working with local agencies, TurnKey will collect and package non-perishable food items from patrons attending the annual festival for delivery to the impoverished nation. Patrons may also leave donations at select ticket outlets to be announced later.

The precise details of our drive are still being developed,” said Elmore. “We have just initiated dialogue with local authorities, who, like the rest of the world are experiencing challenges in communicating with Haitian officials.” Information will be made available at: www.jamaicajazzandblues.com

• Adventists give support to Haiti

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in West Indies Union with headquarters in Mandeville, Jamaica has donated US$10,000.00 and is calling upon its members in the more than 735 congregations in Jamaica, the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands and the Cayman Islands, to support a collection drive to assist the thousands affected by the devastating earthquake, which rocked Haiti on Tuesday, January 12.

The Church’s Community Services Department and Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Jamaica are already collecting non-perishable food items, clothing and bedding from individuals and companies in the region. ADRA-Cayman is ready to go to Haiti with Adventist construction workers to assist with temporary shelter facilities. ADRA International has already launched a disaster response in Haiti. The Adventist-laypersons Services and Industries (Asi) — the business and professional arm of the Church — is also joining to make their contribution.

Northern Caribbean University (NCU) through its Behavioural Science Department will offer counseling services to persons who have relatives and friends in Haiti and are traumatized by the event. It is are located at the RADA Building in Mandeville, 2B Caledonia Road or call 876-962-1386.

Persons wishing to donate cash can do so through the ADRA-Jamaica account number 187917 at any branch of Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS).

The Adventist Church has approximately 335,000 members and 1000 churches in Haiti. It is the second largest Union in the Inter-American Division of Seventh Day Adventists. The church has reported the death of one Adventist worker.

• Claro

Claro Jamaica has responded to the plight of Haitians by using the company’s seven Customer Attention Centres (CACs) as collection points for non-perishable items, which will then be delivered to the Salvation Army.

The CACs, which are open everyday from 10:00a.m. to 7:00p.m. are:

• New Kingston: 30-36 Knutsford Boulevard
• Tropical Plaza: Constant Spring Road
• Spanish Town: Shop 17, Oasis Shopping Centre, 6 March Pen Road
• Portmore: Shop 7B, Portmore Mall
• Montego Bay: Shop F200A, Bay West Plaza, Harbour Street
• Ocho Rios: 12 Evelyn Street, Ocho Rios
• Mandeville: Shops 29-31, Brumalia Town Centre

In addition to accepting donations, the telecommunications giant has pledged to match the total monetary donation made by Claro staff members, which would then be deposited into one of the authorized bank accounts.

Claro Jamaica has expressed sympathies to persons who have lost loved ones and said it is heartened at the same time at the outpouring of support from the Jamaican people.

• JCC appeals for members to help

The Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC) has called on it members and other Jamaicans to generously support fund-raising and collection efforts and to make donations through established avenues such as the ODPEM, United Way, Food for the Poor and the Jamaica Red Cross.

The organization expressed sadness following the devastating Earthquake in Haiti. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Haiti at this time and we urge the Government and people of Jamaica to respond with a level of human concern which will encourage them to urgently transmit to the Government and people of Haiti whatever assistance is possible.”

“We wish to point out that the collection efforts of those organizations – which are urging persons to donate items such as non-perishable food items, toiletries, clothes, bedding and water – as well as those of financial organizations which are facilitating the donation of cash to the relief effort, are being supported by appeals from several media houses. The JCC commends all of these efforts.”