UPDATE from PDG Dick

Photograph by Lisandro Seuro, AFP/Getty Images

Dear Fellow Rotarians

This has been a very fulfilling yet frustrating day. On the fulfilling side we have had overwhelming support from everywhere and everyone again. Thank you so very much for all your efforts.

The District has asked the Assistant Governors to coordinate a local relief strategy for their regional areas. Through this initiative we hope to coordinate the appeal for support, coordinate / consolidate shipments and promote contribution to our relief funds.

We have been able to have communicate occasionally with PADG Caleb Lucien by Satellite phone, but this has been extremely difficult. The needs remain the same with specific emphasis on medical supplies and blankets for right now. We are coordinating with Missionary Flights International to get some stuff flown in and have arranged a few flights from Nassau.

We have been able to get Volunteer Doctors and Medical supplies committed and the flights to get them there as well from a number of our regions. We have the Rotarians from District 7710 who have 3 Beechcraft on the ground in North Carolina ready to come down full of supplies. We have a 40 FT container in Athens Georgia rweady to move with $200,000 worth of medical supplies and on and on

The challenge now is that the airport in PaP is restricting air traffic and some of today's flights were returned and things are backing up and the PaP Port is closed. We have arranged for approval to fly into alternate sites and to truck the supplies to PaP. This is being studied and will be an option we consider for our shipments. We have received approval from the Prime Ministers office to bring in any relief supplies we wish, however this approval does not guarantee access to the airport and port, so it is more of a comfort than a fact.

We have Shelter Boxes, Water Purification Boxes, relief supply Flights, Money and everything else coming in. We now need to position our on the ground team to coordinate it. With the communication that will be difficult but we can get it done.

Sadly we have not been able to reconnect with ADG Ted Lazarre and have not yet heard from PDG Amos and we remain prayerful they are OK.

Not much more to say today without listing the names of the 100's of Rotarians throughout our District and others that have done extraordinary things to get us the support we need, but I believe it would be better just to say a heartfelt THANK YOU from Haiti and all of those you are helping. God Bless You!

A special Thanks to my Haiti Team, Errol, Rupert, Diana and Barry for their usual unwavering support.

I'll be in touch with further update tomorrow.

PDG Dick