Aid from Turkey has arrived

Source: Turkish Red Crescent Society (TRCS)

Date: 18 Jan 2010


In response to massive earthquake that struck Haiti and caused more than 100.000 people lost their life and left more than 2.5 million people homeless in Port-au-Prince and adjoining areas, the Turkish Red Crescent (TRC), in the wake of disaster, established its crisis management desk herein Disaster Operation Center (AFOM) to TRC to conduct and coordinate response activities in close coordination and cooperation within the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement as well as with relevant UN agencies and clusters deployed in Haiti. By taking the catastrophic situation emerged as a result of the quake into consideration, TRC expedited a response team composed of a relief delegates and psychologist to Haiti on 13th January 2010 from Ankara where the AFOM is located. The TRC's response team achieved to reach at Port-au-Prince on 15th January 2010 through Paris and Santo Domingo.

Concurrently, TRC dispatched first relief consignment from Turkey, composing 200 family tents, 2.000 blankets, 145 kitchen utensils and 1.000 body bags worth $137.636,74 USD to Haiti by two C-130 Military Aircrafts those allocated by Turkish Air Force with a view to supporting ongoing relief activities within the concept of civil-military cooperation in emergency situation. In addition to TRC's relief consignment, the Ministry of Health sent two ambulance vehicles with drivers to be used for carrying wounded and rescued people from debris to the hospital or health centers by another military aircraft on the same day.

By considering logistics constrain prevailing in Haiti, a logistics team composed of two delegates and a PR (public relation) delegate sent by TRC to Haiti on 17th January 2010 by another two military aircraft those carrying a field hospital provided by the Ministry of Health with a capacity of 30 beds and 17 medical staffs composing 11 doctors and 4 nurses. The logistics team is going to be deployed on Santo Domingo or Santiago in Dominic Republic so as to establish logistic pipeline between two neighbouring countries and supply required relief items to earthquake zone in efficient and rapid manner.

TRC has already launched donation campaign in Turkey and called for people of Turkey to extend their helping hand to people of Haiti by contributing to the campaign.

The TRC's response team started distribution of 200 food rations including; 2 liters of milk, 1 liter of fruit juice, 2 pounds of sugar, 1 can of corn, 2 cans of red beans, 2 liter of potable water, 2 can of sauces, 2 can of sardines, 1 box of 10 bars of chocolate, 1 pack of sweet crackers, 1 pack of salty crackers in the capital Port-au-Prince in close coordination and cooperation with IFRC Delegation in Haiti and Food Cluster established by UN.

Following to receive first relief consignment dispatched on 16th January to Port-au-Prince, TRC, in conjunction with shelter cluster and Federation Delegation in Port-au-Prince, will establish a relief camp for two hundred families in suitable place to be identified or given by the capital authority. If it seems possible, the field hospital already dispatched on 17th January and expected to arrive in Port-au-Prince on 18th January, would be established on the same place where 200 affected families to be accommodated in TRC's relief camp.

Moreover, as a part of response activities, so as to facilitate recovery of affected communities, psychosocial support activities are being undertaken by our psychologist on the ground.

Turkish Red Crescent will continue to support the people of Haiti to deal with results of the tragic event and will not leave them alone in their worst days.

Yours truly,

Disaster Management Department,

Disaster Operation Center (AFOM) of

The Turkish Red Crescent
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