Congressman Gregory W. Meeks Statement on Today's Earthquake in Haiti
(WASHINGTON, DC)– Congressman Gregory W. Meeks released the following statement today in response to today’s horrific earthquake of 7.0 magnitude in Haiti:
“It is extremely disheartening to learn of this major earthquake that has hit the nation of Haiti today. My thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Haiti and Haitian Americans who have been affected by this devastating natural disaster.
I recently have returned from Haiti where I witnessed firsthand the extreme poverty and suffering of the Haitian people. While the nation of Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, much progress has been made. There has been noticeable development and more security stability throughout the country.
I have been in constant contact with officials from the State Department and U.S. Diplomats. I will continue to closely monitor the situation in Haiti and am prepared to help the Haitian people recover from this natural disaster as quickly as possible.”
If my office can be of any assistance to those who are in need please call (202) 225-3461. For more information about the status of U.S. Citizens in Haiti, the U.S. State Department is working with the American Citizen Services by setting up a phone line for citizens to call in. The phone number is 1(888)-407-4747.
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Resources For Help With The Situation In Haiti
January 13, 2009
• The Haiti Earthquake Task Force has set up the following number for Americans seeking information about American citizens in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747. Some callers may receive a recording because of the heavy volume of calls.
• At this current time the Administration is urging Cash donation. Please visit www.whitehouse.gov and www.USAID.gov for more information.
• You can text “HAITI” to the number 90999 ($10 will be charged to your cell phone bill and donated to the Red Cross and Mercy Corps towards relief efforts Haiti).
• Inquiries regarding non-US citizens in Haiti: Tracing requests are now being accepted for families that are concerned with the whereabouts of relatives in Haiti. This can be found on the website of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) www.icrc.org and the "Looking for a Family Member" link. The process is being managed by the ICRC, in cooperation with the tracing services of the Haitian Red Cross Society and by National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies worldwide.
• Inquiries regarding US citizens living or travelling in Haiti: Inquiries regarding U.S. citizens abroad should be referred to the U.S. Department of State, Office of Overseas Citizens services, at 1-888-407-4747 or 202-647-6225.
• Other organizations and websites that might be useful are:
U.S. Department of State
https://www.state.gov
Center for International Disaster Information’s (CIDI)
https://www.cidi.org
Interaction
https://www.interaction.org/
American Red Cross
www.redcross.org
Americares
www.americares.org
Habitat for Humanity
www.habitat.org
Operation USA
www.opusa.org
UNICEF
www.unicefusa.org
WorldVision
www.worldvision.org
Yele Haiti
www.yele.org
Pan American Relief (PADF)
www.PanAmericanRelief.org
• The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has dispatched its Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) and has activitated its partners, the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Team and the Los Angeles County Search and Rescue Team. The USAR teams will be composed of up to 72 personnel, 6 search and rescue canines and up to 48 tons of rescue equipment. The USAR team will be accompanied by USAID disaster experts who will assist with assessments of the situation.
• The U.S. Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are leading DHS actions to support larger assistance effort. Coast Guard cutters and aircraft are on the ground to assist in humanitarian effort.
• 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 can call the Embassy’s Consular Task Force at 509-2229-8942, 509-2229-8089, 509-2229-8322, or 509-2229-8672.