The Recovery Effort in Haiti: How to Help & State Department Updates
DONATE: The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund
This week, a catastrophic earthquake struck the island nation of Haiti. There is major damage to Port-au-Prince, the capital, including several government buildings. Over three million people are estimated to be affected by the earthquake, and while estimates vary at least 100,000 people were killed, according to the Government of Haiti. Info on how to help and updates from the State Department are below. Call our office in Columbia for assistance as well: 803-939-0041
Latest Updates:www.state.gov/haitiquake/
https://www.southcom.mil/AppsSC/factFiles.php?id=138
Information on Family Members:To obtain information on family members in Haiti, call the Haiti Earthquake Task Force at 1-888-407-4747. For those located outside of the U.S. and Canada, call 202-501-4444. Americans in Haiti may call the U.S. Embassy's Consular Task Force at 509-2229-8942, 509-2229-8089, 509-2229-8322 or 509-2229-8672. Americans are urged to contact the Embassy via email at ACSPaP@state.gov to request assistance.
From the State Department:
Contributions/Donations: The most effective way people can assist relief efforts is by making cash contributions to humanitarian organizations that are conducting relief operations. Information on organizations responding to the humanitarian situation in Haiti may be available atwww.reliefweb.int, and at USAID: www.usaid.gov - Keyword: Donations.
U.S. citizens who wish tocontribute to the relief effort for Haiti after the earthquake, either online or by text message, can visitwww.WhiteHouse.gov.
The State Department helped set up a short code for those wishing to send immediate monetary assistance. To take advantage of this, people can text "HAITI" to "90999" and $10 will be given automatically to the Red Cross, charged to your cell phone bill.
CIDI Hotline: 703-276-1914
https://www.cidi.org/reg_offr.htm
https://www.cidi.org/guidelines/guide_ln.htm
https://www.cidi.org/media/faq.htm
U.S. Citizen Inquiries: The U.S. Embassy in Port Au Prince has set up a task force at the Embassy which is taking calls as conditions permit. The Embassy is working to identify U.S. citizens in Haiti who need urgent assistance and to identify sources of emergency help. U.S. citizens in Haiti are urged to contact the Embassy via email(ACSPaP@state.gov) to request assistance. U.S. citizens in Haiti can call the Embassy's Consular Task Force at 509-2229-8942, 509-2229-8089, 509-2229-8322, or 509-2229-8672. The State Department has also created a task force to monitor the emergency. People in the U.S. or Canada with information or inquiries about U.S. citizens in Haiti may reach the Haiti Task Force at 888-407-4747; Haiti-Earthquake@state.gov. Outside of the U.S. and Canada, call 202-501-4444. For further information and updates, please see the State Department's Consular Affairs website.
We still encourage you to reach out directly to the Department's Haiti Task Force at 1-888-407-4747; Haiti-Earthquake@state.gov.
Adoptions Info: U.S. citizens with pending adoption cases in Haiti are requested to contact the Department of State atAskCI@state.gov for information about their adoption case. In your inquiry, please include: full name and contact information of parents, full name(s) of child(ren), date(s) of birth of child(ren) [if known], and the name and contact information of orphanage. Find additional information about adoptions in Haiti at https://adoption.state.gov/news/Haiti.html#.
Volunteer Opportunities: Additionally, persons who wish to provide assistance or expertise in Haiti are asked to contact the Center for International Disaster Information. The Center, operated under a grant from the United States Agency for International Development's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, has established a dedicated page to coordinate Haiti support at: https://www.cidi.org/incident/haiti-10a/, 703-276-1914.
Haitian Citizens in the U.S.
Haitian citizens in the U.S. should call the Haitian Embassy in Washington, D.C., 202-332-4090, or the Haitian Consulate in New York City, 305-859-2003.