19/01/2010
Haiti earthquake update
This is a human tragedy of enormous proportions. The Government of Haiti says it has buried 40,000 dead already - the final toll will be much higher, possibly as high as 200,000. The UN is reporting up to 3 million people affected and around 300,000 made homeless.
On Monday 18 January Douglas Alexander announced a trebling of funding to Haiti, up from $10 million to more than $32 million - equivalent to £20 million - for immediate priorities:
- A 64-strong search and rescue team with heavy rescue equipment and a humanitarian team to assess priorities
- £1 million for the International Federation of the Red Cross towards food, shelter, water and other immediate needs to 20,000 families
- £2 million for the World Food Programme for transport and logistics
- £1m to assist with aid co-ordination
- £300,000 for the World Health Organisation for disease surveillance to help prevent epidemics
- The new $20 million will go towards further essential work, including food, shelter, health and sanitation
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) which brings together leading humanitarian organisations from the UK such as Save the Children, Oxfam and World Vision launched an urgent appeal last week to raise funds for assisting those affected by the disaster.
The UK public have responded generously to the appeal and the total now stands at over £23m. Every pound makes a difference - and the British people should be applauded for their compassionate and swift response. The donation line is
0370 60 60 900 and website is http://www.dec.org.uk/
