To the people of Haiti, we say clearly, and
with conviction, you will not be forsaken; you will not be forgotten. In this,
your hour of greatest need, America stands with you. The world stands with you.
We know that you are a strong and resilient people. You have endured a history
of slavery and struggle, of natural disaster and recovery. And through it all,
your spirit has been unbroken and your faith has been unwavering. So today, you
must know that help is arriving -- much, much more help is on the way.
- President Barack Obama, 1/14/10
The
thoughts and prayers of the entire Congress are with the people of Haiti. The
United States and Members of Congress remain committed to helping the Haitian people
recover from this latest disaster and rebuild their homes, communities, and
lives in the days and weeks to come. The Obama Administration has launched a
swift, coordinated and aggressive effort to save lives and support the recovery
in Haiti, including an immediate investment of $100 million to support the
relief efforts for life-saving equipment, food, water and medicine that will be
needed.
Looking
For Relatives
Families
of Americans living in Haiti who are trying to find the status of their loved ones
are encouraged to contact the State Department at 1-888-407-4747. This line is
experiencing a high volume of calls at this time, so some callers may receive a
recording. To better handle these requests, the State Department has
established an e-mail address as well:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
A top
priority of the State Department is accounting for the thousands of American
citizens who are currently in Haiti. US citizens in Haiti have been urged to
contact the Embassy via email at
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to request assistance or call
the Embassy's Consular Task Force at 509-2229-8942, 509-2229-8089,
509-2229-8322, or 509-2229-8672.
The Red
Cross has also set up a Family Links website managed by the ICRC, in
cooperation with the tracing services of the Haitian Red Cross Society and of
National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies throughout the world, to assist
in the process of restoring contact between separated family members:
More
Resources
Assistance
for Haiti Relief Efforts
The State Department has established a dedicated web page that offers advice
for anyone wishing to provide assistance to those affected by the earthquake:
The Center
for International Disaster Information (CIDI) provides information and guidance
in support of appropriate international disaster relief:
Haitian
Earthquake Relief Fraud Alert
The
FBI has issued a fraud alert, reminding Internet users who receive appeals to
donate money in the aftermath of Tuesday's earthquake in Haiti to apply a
critical eye and do their due diligence before responding to those requests.
Past tragedies and natural disasters have prompted individuals with criminal
intent to solicit contributions purportedly for a charitable organization
and/or a good cause. Therefore, before making a donation of any kind, consumers
should adhere to certain guidelines, to include the following:
- Do not respond to any unsolicited (spam) incoming
e-mails, including clicking links contained within those messages.
- Be skeptical of individuals representing
themselves as surviving victims or officials asking for donations via
e-mail or social networking sites.
- Verify the legitimacy of nonprofit organizations
by utilizing various Internet-based resources that may assist in
confirming the group's existence and its nonprofit status rather than
following a purported link to the site.
- Be cautious of e-mails that claim to show
pictures of the disaster areas in attached files because the files may
contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.
- Make contributions directly to known
organizations rather than relying on others to make the donation on your
behalf to ensure contributions are received and used for intended
purposes.
- Do not give your personal or financial
information to anyone who solicits contributions: Providing such
information may compromise your identity and make you vulnerable to
identity theft.
Anyone who
has received an e-mail referencing the above information or anyone who may have
been a victim of this or a similar incident should notify the Internet Crime
Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.
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