From the UN Foundation:
Two days after the 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti, UN Foundation Vice President of Global Health Dr. Daniel Carucci traveled to Haiti to deliver vital medical supplies and will continue to assess the situation on the ground.
The United Nations Departments of Peacekeeping Operations and Field Support have launched two social networking sites to keep friends, families and colleagues of UN staff in Haiti up to date on the latest news.
-Facebook page DPKO Support Page for UN Staff in Haiti contains the latest UN announcements, news reports, resource contacts and a capacity to receive questions from those concerned about the welfare of UN staff in Haiti. The site also contains links to all UN recovery efforts underway in Haiti.
This note from a World Food Program worker in Haiti, posted to an internal WFP message board (and reprinted with permission, via ), offers some insights into the logistical challenges facing rescue workers. The author's name is Pierre Petry. He is a World Food Program senior ICT specialist with the Fast Information Technology and Telecommunications Emergency and Support Team.
Ban Ki Moon and his spokesperson just briefed the press. The UN has confirmed 37 deaths. 36 of whom were affiliated with the peacekeeping mission, MINUSTAH. One of whom worked for the World Food Program. 330 people are still missing and unaccounted for out of a total UN presence of 12,000.
Meanwhile, Ban Ki Moon said that as many as 50% of buildings in worst hit areas are damaged or destroyed. He said a large proportion of 3 million people are without access to food and water.
Our attention is rightly directed to rescuing people trapped in collapsed buildings.
As I said in my Daily Beast item, one of the best things that Haiti has going for it right now is Bill Clinton. Last spring, the Secretary General tapped the former president to be his special envoy for Haiti.
Sending aid to Haiti isn’t the only thing we can do to help the country. We can also help Haitians help themselves. The US could grant Haitians in the United States Temporary Protected Status (TPS). It’s a kind of temporary immigration relief offered to countries that have suffered severe disasters. TPS lets nationals of the disaster-hit country apply for work authorization, allows them to travel outside the US, and prevents them from deportation.
