For those professional organizations and public citizens/groups looking for a starting point in assisting can start with President of the United States remarks and follow the web links below.
- The White House website sends interested parties to the Red Cross or the Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI). The CIDI is an agency with an US Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) grant that organizes information on disaster response. CIDI is being presented as the central location for those interested in assisting. Here is the White House Blog page directing the public to CIDI: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/01/13/help-haiti
- CIDI website www.cidi.org has a registration database for those interested in offering either commodities or technical assistance. If it is another government agency or corporation, they will be contacted by a CIDI representative. The public will be placed on a database that is accessible to responding Non Government Organizations (NGO) i.e. RED CROSS, Doctors without Borders, etc.
- If an offer is of interest to an NGO, the NGO will contact the offering party separately. We do recommend that if you have a required professional skill or belong to a professional organization associated with a NGO to contact them directly.
- You can help immediately by texting 'HAITI' to '90999' and a donation of $10 will be made automatically to the Red Cross for relief efforts. The donation will be charged to your cell phone bill or you can donate cash to an organization you trust. It allows for aid to be tailored specifically to the needs on the ground, it does not incur hefty logistical costs (that at times exceed the value of the donation), and helps stimulate the local economy. CIDI has a fact sheet on this here: http://www.cidi.org/cib.htm
- There will also be a call to rebuild the effected areas throughout Haiti. This is a call for contractors, carpenters, stone masons, plumbers, architects, trash removal, etc to register immediately and be counted for. Please email the Department of State at HelpHaiti@state.gov and describe your skill set and professional background. They will respond with additional registration information.
- Americans trying to locate family members in Haiti can contact the State Department at 888-407-4747.
- Private Offers of Assistance for Haiti Relief Efforts - Anyone wishing to donate or provide assistance in Haiti following the devastating earthquake that struck near Port au Prince on Jan 12, 2010, is 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 and initial support from IBM, has become a valuable resource to the public, as well as US government agencies, foreign embassies and international corporations. CIDI has established a dedicated page to coordinate Haiti support at: http://www.cidi.org/incident/haiti-10a/
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