HAITI UPDATE: June 7, 2010

Extraordinary Day
Extraordinary Trip
Extra ordinary Meeting
Extraordinary Achievements

I wanted to provide a very brief synopsis of our Extraordinary Day today spent in Port au Prince Haiti with our Haiti Task Force. I needed to do so because you have not heard from me in some time and in addition this was one of the most successful Rotary Days I believe I have ever experienced and want to share it.

The primary purpose of the trip was to have the Donor Advised Fund Account Holders go to Haiti to meet the Task Force, The Account Holders are made up of the following Rotarians, Rotary Vice President and current Board member Eric Adamson, PRID Bob Stuart, PRID Barry Rassin and RIDE John Smarge. They wanted to listen to and understand the needs as defined and expressed by the Rotary Clubs of Haiti and the Haiti leadership Team, They also wanted to understand from the senior people in the Haitian Government responsible for Education in Haiti what their plans were and what recommendations they had. The Account Holders also wanted to reach a consensus on our direction forward based on these discussions. In addition it was an opportunity for them to establish the criteria and procedural requirements that will need to be met to receive funding. There was a VERY productive meeting on that and PRID Barry Rassin will elaborate in much more detail on that. A Special Thank you again to Barry for his commitment to our great District.

In addition to that we were dealing with 3 other major issues, Firstly the current status of the Rotary NGO in Haiti, ROTAH, Secondly The Jaipur Limb Project, and Thirdly the status and release information on the containers we shipped.

On the First item I must say I am absolutely ecstatic about the news on ROTAH. I was presented with a copy of the signed document signed by the Prime Minister etc. as proof that the process has been completed and within days the official published certificate will be in hand, and published in Haiti.

This was an enormous undertaking that has taken us three years and through some of the most difficult challenges and obstacles you can imagine, but we believed in it and it is a reality today. I want to recognize and thank, DGN Guy Theodore, Dr. Claude Surena, and PDG Amos Durosier for everything they have done. This approval was in the true sense of the word “raised from the rubble” after the earthquake and it would not have been possible without the persistence of these fine Rotarians. THANK YOU!!!!

The second item was the Jaipur Limb project. We have agreed that we would undertake this as one of our primary earthquake relief responses and are now moving forward with the consensus of all the Haitian clubs and leaders to proceed. We believe a modified version which includes a mobile clinic will be the best one and we will immediately begin to define the scope of the project with the new conditions applied. It is likely that the DAF would provide some seed funding for this as well if it is required although we do not believe that to be the case.

The third item was the status of the relief containers and the release of them. Again we have very good news here. PDG Amos Durosier for those that do not know heads up the Anti-Corruption unit of the Haitian government. His involvement with the top levels of the Haitian government is daily so he knows them all personally and well. The release documents have been signed off by the Ministry of Interior and Planning Department (I think I have that right), and will be delivered to the Minister of Finance today as we fly back to Nassau or tomorrow. Amos has already presented this to the Minister of Finance and he assured Amos that he will sign off on it as soon as it touches his desk. He also said he would be sure to ask for it so it reached his desk immediately.

For those of you who know Haiti we have done the equivalent of moving a mountain here. We went the legitimate process all above board and got it done. A very special congratulations to all the fellow Haitian Rotarians that made this possible, and there were many. Going forward our NGO status with ROTAH takes all of the challenges we have had with this shipment off the table as it goes Directly to Customs with our Status Certificate.

When we left we felt the Task Force was untied and organized and fully up to the challenges ahead. We are in flight on the way back to Nassau, (31/2 hours each way) and I think I can say that I speak for everyone on the plane. It was a GREAT DAY !!!!

Many , more details to follow but as always our Supreme Rotarian PRID Barry Rassin will be putting out a comprehensive summary covering everything.

Thanks to Vance Johnson our pilot and Odyssey for their great support.

PDG Dick

HAITIAN EARTHQUAKE UPDATE: March 3, 2010

Inside the Petionville Club, a Port-au-Prince resort where some 50,000 displaced Haitians have set up camp, a woman receives a pedicure in a makeshift salon. The sprawling camp has seen the opening of barbershops, beauty salons and a market where residents sell goods. Photo Source: United Nations

At District 7020’s Leadership Training in Miami last weekend we had the opportunity to meet with most of the members of the Haiti Task Force at once. What a great opportunity to share our thoughts and experiences through all this.

The purpose of the meeting was to understand the most current critical needs that that our Haiti Ground Team feels we must focus on medium term while agreeing to commit to a long term sustainable solution for the country to be decided after the PDNA is completed.

We went around the table and got everyone’s input as to what we needed to do next, and how we should approach the future needs of the country. The response was amazingly consistent. In the short term we need to address the overpopulation of the schools in the various regions and do what we can to get as many of the children as possible back to school. That will involve a number of things depending on the particular region, but classroom shelters by way of tents or other structures, desks, benches, materials for those items, meals and tuition fees are at the top of the list.

A man gets his hair cut in a makeshift barbershop inside the Petionville Club, a Port-au-Prince resort where some 50,000 displaced Haitians have set up an IDP camp. The camp has seen the opening of barbershops, beauty salons and a market where residents sell goods.
Photo Source : United Nations

We have asked each Club President through the Assistant Governor to identify one school in each Rotary Community that needs our assistance and to provide us with an exact list of what we can provide for each school to meet our objective of providing a place for schooling and social activity for the refugee children. It was also suggested that the displaced senior students and university students be used as tutors in the school system to make up for the extra students and limited additional teachers.

This will be completed by week’s end and we will evaluate based on the magnitude of the requests, and decide what we can do. We urgently need 20’ through 60’ tents for this purpose and hope you can all call someone who might have access to one or two. They do not have to be new or any exact shape or size. Please put the word out.

We have agreed that our response for the long term sustainable recovery will depend on the competition of the PDNA and the recommendations that come from the United Nations review of that document with the international rebuilding partners. We have agreed to put forward Haitian Rotarian Kyss Jean-Mary as our representative on the PDNA committee in Port au Prince. I will send a letter confirming that to the Prime Minister of Haiti later today.

Barry Rassin will be assisting with the Rotary presence at the United Nations when the recommendations are reviewed at that level.

Photo Source: United Nations

We asked each assistant Governor to provide us with a synopsis of their respective club's health and to report back to me by week’s end.

Barry is following up on our proposed $50,000 contribution for seeds through the UN Agricultural Cluster. I am getting information to clarify the routing of the funds.

ROTAH, Regroupement Oeuvrant a Travers des Actions Humanitaires en Haiti will have its NGO finalized this week and will be used as our primary consignee for the relief aid we send to Haiti.

We discussed many options and possible directions for Rotary to go in the rebuilding plan and were quoted a Haitian saying which I want to share with you all.

A dog has 4 paws, but can only go one place at a time.

PDG Richard McCombeDistrict 7020

HAITI UPDATE: February 25, 2010 from PDG Dick

Photo source: Food for the Poor

Just a quick update covering my trip Tuesday to Haiti and the meeting with Rotary International President John Kenny, with the temporary head of the civilian side of the United Nations, and the head of the Red Cross. The trip there and back with Captain Paul Luehrsen in his Mooney aircraft was wonderful. It was just the two of us in a small but comfortable plane and a good time to talk to a very well informed and intelligent person to test our theories of the recovery. (about 8 hours round trip with an additional 5 on the ground), and Thanks Paul. All meetings were very successful and informative and the trip was worth every minute.

Our meeting with President John Kenny was to bring him up to speed with the recovery efforts so far and to give him some idea of what was needed in the future.

We must now bridge the gap between the acute relief stage, and the recovery stage. As UNDP Ms. KIM Bolduc, Regional Representative for the United Nations stated at our meeting, “We cannot fail at this or Haiti will never be fixed”.

The Challenge is that this period requires solutions which might only provide temporary relief and will make the lives of individuals a little better, but must also be consistent with the long term sustainable recovery plan recommendations derived from the Post Disaster National Assessment and ratified at the United Nations. We would recommend the following priorities be established, for the near term by Rotary International.

Food

· Seeds (landed next 2 to 3 weeks only due to planting season)

· Beans

· Rice

· Vegetable oil

Basic, uniform tents are used for shelter in Barbancourt, in the mountainous region outside Haiti capital Port-au-Prince, where a community of approximately 1500 dispalaced Haitians has relocated. PHOTO: UN News & Media

Shelter

· Large Tents

o 30’ X 30” through 60’ X 60’ for classrooms, recreation areas, community centers, therapy shelter etc.

o Semi permanent shelter buildings for families

· Awnings to create / build shelters

o 10” X 10’ and up to 30’ X 30’

· Tents

o Straight sides 6’ X 8’ to 10’ X 12’

Money

· Funds to allow us to get exactly what’s needed when we need it and where we need to get it from (to buy local or support local production whenever possible)

o Medical supplies and equipment

o Educational supplies and classroom needs

o All other random requests which meet the urgent priorities identified at the time

Medical supplies and support

· Medical supplies and equipment as specifically requested by specific location

· Physical Therapy equipment and resources to be specified

· Prosthetics

o Continued guidance and support by Jaipur with serious consideration of the Mobile units I have recommended

Agricultural and Industrial development support
(Click here for more information from the UN Food & Agriculture Organisation on this aspect of the recovery effort )
o Tools and supplies for agricultural production

o Lists to be specified

o Equipment and supplies for light industry start ups

o To be specified by defined need

Photo Source: PBS

I appreciate the need to provide everyone a list of very specific items so we can focus on only them in the short term but given the varied needs and the varied regions, this is not as straight forward as it might seem. The priorities are changing as the elements of a sustainable future are studied and tested against the master plan being developed. I am confident that we will have a clearer picture of the long term needs in the near future and at that time I hope that we can re-inspire those who can help to “step up” again to help us achieve a long term sustainable healthy future for the country of Haiti.

We are meeting in Miami this weekend during the District Leadership Training with many of the key “On The Ground” players and the District Leadership. I hope to share more information with you shortly.


Richard McCombe
District 7020


Check out The District 7020 Newsletter for how Rotarians all over the District have responded to the disaster in Haiti.

HAITI UPDATE: February 22, 2010 from Barry Rassin

Video Source: Doctors Without Borders

On Saturday February 20, 2010 a delegation of Rotarians (PRID Barry Rassin and PDG Richard McCombe) along with the Haitian Ambassador to The Bahamas Louis Harold Joseph (Honorary Rotarian) and Pilots Paul Pyfrom and Paul Aranha (mentioned because of the many, many relief flights they have volunteered to fly, especially Paul Aranha) flew from Nassau, Bahamas to Port au Prince, Haiti. Our purpose was to visit the epicenter and to meet with the Rotarian Leaders who have continued working tirelessly to bring relief to all they can.

We were met at the PAP International Airport by Rotarians from Haiti: PDG Amos Durosier and his wife Arlette, DGN Dr. Guy Theodore, AG Caleb Lucien, AG Dr. Claude Surena, PP George Nicolas, and Ted Lazarre.

First we met as a group for a briefing on the current needs in Haiti resulting from the earthquake on January 12 and the 54 subsequent tremors. We then joined the Prime Minister for Haiti, the Honorable Jean-Max Bellerive, and had a very cordial and accommodating meeting. He expressed his appreciation for what Rotary has done over many years in Haiti and specifically for what they continue to do now. He stated that all Haitians know Rotary and what they do.

The following is a synopsis of the two meetings:

1. It is believed that 250,000 have lost their lives to the earthquake.

A man carries a coffin through a street in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Behind him, a toppled building testifies to the strength of the earthquake that struck the capital on 12 January. Photo Source: United Nations News & Media

2. One million are homeless and need shelter and about 40% of the homeless are children.

3. Food, Water and Shelter are the priorities for all the country. The migration from PAP has placed a burden on all the other cities on top of the obvious burden in PAP.

4. For shelter there is still a major need for tents and/or tarps in order to at least provide some shelter for those who have been left homeless.

Photo: United Nations News Centre

5. Eighty Percent (80%) of the schools in PAP have been destroyed. On Tuesday, February 23 the government is meeting with the Association of all Schools in order to try to get them open to the degree that at least the children have a place to go and a meal to eat. (It may be their only meal of the day). If we can get larger tents (20 x 20) next to the schools then they can at least meet. The children are considered a priority by the Government. Many students have died, many teachers have died. 80% of the 80% were private schools but the government accepts their responsibility to get schools going to accommodate all the children. The consolidated education fund will continue to do everything it can to restart the schools. Clearly Rotary can help with the schools.

6. Rotary’s final NGO status will be complete in days but in the meantime The Prime Minister will give us a letter of authorization to clear customs efficiently and duty free. (This will only apply if advance notice is given to the local Rotary Leadership with details of the goods shipped, time and place of arrival and intended rotary destination). The priorities for incoming shipments will first be the NGO’s with proper documentation, second urgent commercial goods and lastly all other commercial goods. This is important as the customs duties have been restored in order to ensure that only appropriate items are received duty free.

7. While temporary shelter (tents and tarps) is critical work has to begin on sustainable housing. It must be done in a way that provides jobs for the short and long term as well as shelter and an infrastructure to support the residents (Homes, sanitation, water, agriculture, trade, transportation, etc.).

A resident of Haiti displaced by the 12 January earthquake builds a makeshift home in what used to be the stadium in downtown Port-au-Prince.

Photo Source: United Nations News & Media

8. The government appreciates the opportunity to sread out the population density to improve all facets of PAP life. With the support of the local population and the recognized needs along with international support, the government should be able to make the changes they could not make before.

9. It is clear that a caution light is now up for all to see with continued relief support for free food and water. A substantial part of the economy is small farms growing and small business along with street vendors selling produce, fruits, rice and other staples. With incorrect levels of free items distributed it puts the single family business in financial trouble spiraling the economy downhill. We must be cautious not to “kill” the economy through well intentioned donations. The economic balance needs to be enhanced through the efforts of Rotary and other NGO’s.

10. A Post Disaster National Assistance (PDNA) Committee has been formed and consists of local representatives as well as all significant international entities that are assisting in the restoration efforts. Rotary is included on the PDNA with Dr. Claude Surena on the committee. This committee is making an assessment of the damages and the resultant needs and will formulate priorities and prepare a plan. The plan is scheduled to be complete by March 15 and is intended to be presented to the United Nations around March 23 or 24.

11. The District 7020 Haiti Earthquake Relief Committee will continue to meet and assist with getting the final containers (40 to 50) to Haiti by the end of March. However, the committee is now turning to the planning for the longer term relief efforts. We have to consider:

a. Basic Education and Literacy – Getting the children back to school.

b. Disease Prevention and Treatment – Continue helping the hospital and health workers as well as developing comprehensive rehabilitation.

A mother at Delmas 33, an IDP camp in Port-au-Prince for Haitians displaced by the earthquake, comforts her child as he receives tetanus and diphtheria vaccinations provided by the World Health Organization (WHO). Photo Source: United Nations News & Media

c. Water and Sanitation – The clean water needs must be addressed and effective sanitation is essential with so many tent cities now in place.

d. Maternal and Child Health – We need to address the nutrition of the children and the mothers.

e. Economic and Community Development – We need to help to boost the economy providing micro credit for business start up and we need to enhance the community life for a positive economic growth.

A man sharpens his machete inside Port-au-Prince's Petionville Club, a golf and tennis resort where some 50,000 Haitians displaced by the earthquake have set up makeshift shelters. The residents of the sprawling camp have also opened barbershops, salons, and a market. Photo Source: United Nations News & Media

We are in this program for the long haul and will be proud as we stand beside Rotarians in Haiti and lend them a hand as together we rebuild a beautiful country and show our respect and admiration for the people of Haiti.

The Future of Rotary is in Our Hands and the future of Haiti depends on what we continue to do.



Barry Rassin
PRID 2006-2008
District 7020

Haiti's Top Priority: Tents

Ulrigue Idal gave birth to 2 day old Edwige at the Centre D'Ebergement and is now staying in a ShelterBox tent. Photograph: Mark Pearson

It is now five weeks since Haiti was rocked by a catastrophic earthquake and there is still an urgent need for secure shelter which can stand up to the Haitian climate.

ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) member Jane Nash has just returned to the UK from Port au Prince. She says the importance of getting people into tents cannot be underestimated.

‘The rains are going to be really hard and it's going to take a long time to get transitional housing up and running. Our tents will withstand heavy rain. Would you want to be in a tarpaulin sheet in a torrential downpour when the ground will be soaked? The look on one woman’s face when I gave her a tent was like it was the best thing she had ever had, ’said Jane.

ShelterBox General Manager Lasse Petersen added: ‘At present the vast majority of people left homeless have yet to receive even plastic sheeting. These families need immediate emergency shelter rather than becoming caught up in policy debates.

‘A tent, as we’ve already seen, can be a life saving difference to many of the most vulnerable during what is likely to become a very lengthy wait for anything more permanent. It’s vital we continue our efforts in Haiti; tents are the number one priority.’

So far more than 7,000 ShelterBoxes and disaster relief tents have been distributed in Haiti and another 1,200 are due to arrive in Port au Prince, Haiti’s capital, by Friday. The SRT in Port au Prince already has a planned distribution in place for these boxes.

ShelterBox has committed another 5,000 tents to Haiti, which will provide shelter for another 50,000 people. These will start arriving at the end of February. ShelterBox tents undergo rigorous testing and will be able to stand up to the spring rains which will soon descend on Haiti.

Long-term commitment

On February, Tuesday 16, SRT members Mike Greenslade (AU) and Dave Ray (UK), who are in Port au Prince, worked closely with community leaders and the Red Falcon, US 82nd Airborne to distribute 180 ShelterBoxes.

Mike said: ‘We could not have achieved a safe distribution without the 82nd Airbourne. The soldiers of Red Falcon ensured that boxes went to the most needy in the camp.

‘Conditions in the camp are amongst the worst I’ve seen with people living cheek by jowl, camping out on piles of rubble, surrounded by rubbish and rotting waste. In this space people have to wash, cook, eat and sleep, many with no more than a bed sheet for overhead cover.

‘This picture is replicated throughout Port au Prince and the outlying affected by the quake. There are not enough tents to go round and the consensus is that when the rains come we will have a second emergency on our hands.’

The below video, shot by SRT member Tom Lay (UK) who returned to the UK from Haiti last week, features SRT member John Diksa (FR) and outlines ShelterBox’s work in Haiti so far:

ShelterBox will continue responding to the crisis in Haiti until the job is done. At the same time, we need to rebuild our stock levels so we have the capacity to immediately respond to the next disaster that strikes.

If you can help in any way, great or small, please visit ShelterBox.org

Article source:ShelterBox.org

Haiti Physcal Rehabilitation Programs

Photo: Shelterbox.org

Click Here to see the minutes of the February 10 Haiti Injury Rehabilitation and Disability meeting as well as the list of participants.


Our biggest coordination challenge at this time to have updated information.


For organizations already operational in Haiti or those that have plans to start rehabilitation activities, we kindly request your support to share this information by filling the attached form and sending it back to readaptationhaiti AT gmail DOT com for compilation.


Thank you very much.

Article Source : Haiti Physical Rehabilitation Programs Forum

Haiti : Tents & Shelter Boxes URGENTLY needed

Photo: CARE

Just so you are aware, we have put out a call for 200,000 tents for Haiti and clubs are working hard to find them. I am told there are not that many in the world but what is there Rotary will find.

We are aware that shelter is the urgent need and are also looking at longer lasting shelter as if a hurricane hits the tents will be gone.



Barry
Barry Rassin, FACHE
RI Director 2006-08
office 242-302-4765
cell 242-424-3650
ba...@rassin.org
Join The Caribbean Partnership at http://www.caribbeanpartnership.org/ and http://www.thinkcaribbean.org/


................................................

Sent: Tue, February 16, 2010 2:10:28 PM
>Subject: Re: Haiti update from Al Ingersoll Feb 16, 2010

Barry... Knowing that the ShelterBoxes are in limited supply, is call the that you folks have for 200,000 more ShelterBoxes? If not, what type of tents are you looking for?


Thanks for the additional feedback!... John


John N. Billock, Chair
Haiti Earthquake Relief Committee
Rotary International District 6650, Ohio USA

Humanitarian Services Committee
Rotary Club of Cortland, Ohio USA

............................

In a message dated 2/16/2010 2:21:22 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, barryj...@yahoo.com writes:-

A tent alone is less expensive which would allow us to get to more families. It needs to be strong enough to provide shelter for a reasonable period of time.


Barry

Barry Rassin, FACHE

...............

Sent: Tue, February 16, 2010 2:53:24 PM
Subject: Re: Haiti update from Al Ingersoll Feb 16, 2010


Barry... Thanks for the quick reply!... I will see what I can do from this end.


I assume someone has already talked with the ShelterBox folks about just being able to get tents, as I know what they use are of excellent quality and I assume they have the contacts to get them at reasonable price!


John

....................

Tom Henderson at Shelterbox is aware and just feels there are no tents available. I feel if Rotary Clubs try they will find them.


Barry
Barry Rassin, FACHE
RI Director 2006-08

For more information on "Shelter Haiti" go to the Discussion Forum.

HAITI: Race to the Rainy Season

Photo: ShelterBox

PORT-AU-PRINCE (February 11, 2010) - One month after the catastrophic quake that leveled most of Port-au-Prince, CARE and other aid agencies are in a race against time to get people waterproof shelter and decent sanitation before the rainy season hits at the end of March. Most people crammed into overcrowded temporary camps are huddled under bed sheets strung between poles or sticks – hardly enough to block out the sun, but useless against the torrential downpours of Haiti's rainy season.

"The coming month will be all about the rain. We need to get these people waterproof shelter. Acute respiratory infection is rising, because they are sleeping on the bare ground, and they get damp at dawn from the dew," said Lizzie Babister, senior shelter advisor for CARE in Haiti. "Drainage will be the next issue, partly because of excrement near the sites, and partly because they'll have rivers running through their shelters. It's going to be a real push to get this done in time for the rainy season at the end of March."

While tents might seem to be the logical solution, there simply isn't enough room in downtown Port-au-Prince's limited public spaces. The shelters that have sprung up after the quake are sandwiched in one next to the other, often using the same poles as supports.

"A typical family tent has a floor space of 16 square meters, which is four times as much space as people are currently squatting on in the urban areas," said Babister. "If we start distributing those in downtown Port-au-Prince, we're going to displace three-quarters of the population. The immediate solution for the congested areas isn't tents, it's tarps. Lots of them, and fast."

In the less-crowded rural areas, family tents are a temporary solution, as people have more access to open space. But shipping in enough family tents for all the people in need would take months – too late to beat the rainy season. By contrast, shipments of sturdy, reusable 6 meters x 4 meters tarps (plastic sheeting) can arrive in Haiti in days or weeks. This will keep people dry while aid agencies start implementing a longer-term solution to the shelter crisis.

Sanitation is the other half of the ongoing crisis in post-quake Haiti. While organizations like CARE are building latrines in the camps, we are doing "sanitation triage" in camps built on hills or areas without access to latrines, said Paul Shanahan, CARE's senior water and sanitation advisor.

"We're still fighting the latrine battle in the sanitation war, but we've also started the second line of defense, which is going into the camps and removing the excrement that is piling up. It's not pretty, but it needs to be done," said Shanahan. "Our biggest fear at this point is the outbreak of disease. It's one thing to see half your family die in an earthquake, but it's another to watch the other half die slowly from diarrhea. It's more than any flesh and blood can bear."

In addition to building 3,000 latrines, CARE is also providing hand-washing education, hygiene kits with soap and cleaning supplies and removal of excrement from the camps. For housing, CARE plans to provide emergency shelter for 8,500 families (42,500 people).

Despite the challenges, great progress has been made by the Haitian people and humanitarian community to assist the nearly three million people affected by the earthquake. To date, CARE has reached more than 184,737 people with food, safe drinking water, shelter, water and sanitation facilities, emergency supplies and reproductive health care for pregnant and nursing mothers. But more needs to be done.

The next looming hurdle is the hurricane season, which starts as early as June. Port-au-Prince is surrounded by mountains and therefore largely protected from hurricanes, but flooding is a huge risk as rain comes streaming down the mountains, bringing rivers of mud along with it.

"We have rubble from the buildings that we can use as flood defenses, but we need to start planning for this now," said Babister. "Everything is a race against time."

Article Source: CARE

Haiti's TB outbreak could affect the world

Video : CNN

Update from Haiti: PDG Dick - January 7, 2010

Rotary Water-Survival boxes being distributed in Haiti after the Earthquake.

Photos: WorldWaterWorks

Dear all,

I have just concluded our assessment of the situation in Haiti, and have just finished making a number of lengthy calls with the team on the ground in Haiti. Based on this I wanted to share with you the situation as I understand it today.

The position we took last week in which we said to hold off on further deliveries of medical supplies not already in route was the correct one. Currently in the Port au Prince area there is no shortage of these medical supplies. In fact the challenge is now the sorting and the distribution of these items. This is at a critical stage because of the volume of random medical inventory received and specific needs that may currently be outstanding. As far as medical supplies are concerned the advice from the team is, "Do not send anything else unless it is specific in terms of the location and the product". We need to be sure we co-ordinate this so we do not duplicate the supply chain and add to the problem.

There are a number of private Hospitals in the rural areas that are in need of some specific things, but there are also others that have an excess of supplies. We are in the process of balancing this as best we can now. After that specific orders will be processed as they come in. I am told that most of the Government Hospitals are getting the supplies they need with the exception of a few specifics which we are trying to address on their behalf through the Rotary Leadership in that area. That seems to be more equipment related than medical supplies.

Photo : Neil Van Dine, Haiti Outreach

The food and shelter needs are still very high on the priority list. The challenge we have on the ground now is the storage and distribution logistics of the food and shelter items. In Port au Prince in particular there are numerous International Organizations that are distributing food in the quake region. For the most part their capabilities for this are better than ours so most of those efforts should be left to them. Our Rotarians on the ground are doing some food and shelter distribution as well from the supplies Rotary has sent. It is important that they continue to do this and that we continue to supply them. Not only is it helping the most needy, but it seems to be providing our Rotarians a purpose on the ground in their respective communities.

Keeping the Rotarian alive in spirit is essential at this difficult time and it must be rewarding for our Rotarians to be able to help their neighbours and their communities through this. I will try to get further specifics to you on what we should continue to supply, but bulk rice, beans, flour, proteins, vegetable oil etc and Tents are a safe bet for now.

There are in excess of 10,000 Shelter Boxes in Haiti and most of them set up or in the process of being set up. The distribution is being done through a number of international organizations. Rotary has had an allocation of them for the use of Rotarians and their families in need. As of today there are about 45 in our possession still not distributed but they will be sent out in the next couple of days.

Photo: Neil Van Dine, Haiti Outreach

There has been a great response with Water Boxes, Purification Systems and water supply. In many instances these resources have been sent directly to Rotary in Haiti for distribution. In my discussions with the team on the ground it appears that the distribution of these assets would be best handled by the Haiti Water Commission and the selected agency it is working with for the distribution. They are better equipped to know where the camps are set and what the needs are. They also know what supplies are available to each of them from the organizations currently on the ground. My advice to Claude was to help train the group doing the distribution on the use of the equipment before they deliver these units to families and groups. And then assist by providing the assets to them for distribution.

Photo: Neil Van Dine, Haiti Outreach

The rural situation remains the same. The need is for shelter, food, school supplies and the support for secondary medical assistance, education etc. The bulk food supply is still available in most areas in the country. Our best help there is to fund the purchase of the basics while it lasts. This is what we have been doing and will continue although this can be very expensive and a little more difficult to manage.

I am expecting a specific request from our leaders for their regions that will identify the exact number of Schools, families and students we are talking about.

Photo: Neil Van Dine, Haiti Outreach

The consensus is the rural areas have each grown by in excess of 20% since the earthquake.The response to this has varied from funding bulk shelter and feeding camps, providing international NGO's that provide food and shelter with bulk food, to each Rotary family committing to look after a specific number of displaced families.

There is the potential for hoarding and other issues with this, but we are taking all precautions practical and possible at this time. Long term we will need to be better at this if we want to continue with it.

The long term response to this disaster is going to be an enormous drain on our human and financial resources for some time to come. I believe that we should begin discussing our role in the long term recovery and rebuild effort right away. I think our response going forward should be more and more in line with what we ultimately identify as our long term sustainable strategy. To do this we will need to get a sense very soon of where we are going to fit in the grand scheme of things in Haiti. Will it be an emphasis area, will it be communities, will it be in the planning? Who knows!

Aid workers open boxes of food provided by Numana in which warnings against human trafficking are provided to raise awareness of vulnerable Haitians.

Photo:Salvation Army Blog Usa

I have approached a well respected international investor and business man who has developed a sustainable settlement tradition in The Bahamas. He has a concept and some ideas that I believe could well be at the core of our response to the future development of Haiti. His concept addresses the creation of a sustainable settlement that takes into account social, financial, cultural, health, and environmental elements. I believe this is an opportunity that needs to be explored as a possible Rotary solution in its long term response. I will keep you posted on the progress of this idea when I hear back from those I have sent it to.

There are some immediate needs that will come up that we must still fulfill but we must also begin to recognize that response must move from the immediate to the medium and long term.

PDG Dick

Photo: Neil Van Dine, Haiti Outreach

UPDATE from Haiti: PDG Dick: January 31, 2010

Photo source:Rotary District 7020 Haiti Updates Blog

Dear all,

Sorry about the delayed update but we are working on a number of issues and none of them seem easy right now. As you know we are re- evaluating the situation with an emphasis on our Haitian Family of Rotary and where we need to go from here. We obviously have many of the supplies and assistance that was originally called for still coming in and are processing it through onto the ground daily. The status reports by region and for our Quake Zone clubs should be in by later tomorrow so a clearer update will be posted then. We have Dr. Greg Hoeksema, a fellow Rotarian from Cayman on the ground doing a medical evaluation of supplies and equipment. He is done in the Pignon area and is going to Cap Haitien tomorrow and onto Port de Paix Tuesday evening.

Infants from a Port-au-Prince orphanage.
Photo Source:The Salvation Army Blog USA

President Shaun Ingraham, and Tyson from the Eluthera Rotary Club are on the ground and on their way into Port au Prince tomorrow morning with the Director of Habitat for Humanity. He is going to be texting out information to us, so that should help with our insight. I just spoke to him and he will be providing me with his sense of the situation later on today.

The entire education system in the country has been shut down. Not one child anywhere going to school. There is slow movement now to begin to reopen Missionary and Private Schools although the Education Ministry has not officially permitted that yet and they have no clear strategy to do so. The transient population with children arriving in their respective new communities may well never get back to school unless we do something. I have a call out for BIG Tents, Circus or MASH type tents. There were in excess of 300 schools destroyed in the PaP area alone so this challenge is a big one. The children, orphaned or not, need a place to get together and play and socialize at the very least soon, so keep that in minds you search for the tents.

Haitians gather to receive food and water distributed by The Salvation Army.
Photo Source: The Salvation Army Blog USA

Food and Shelter is still a core need. For food be sure its more in the way of beans, rice, protein supplements, baby formula etc. Tents, sleeping matts, blankets, clean clothing etc. We have our Florida Rotary Friends setting up 10 40ft containers throughout the State to collect food and shelter items. We are hoping to ship 8 containers from Nassau as well this week. We are still at the point where we can buy supplies in Haiti so money still works. Certainly for the long term and for the bigger longer term projects, money will be the most necessary.

Through the high tech capability of our District I was able to go live on REACH radio in the BVI's yesterday thanks to Don. Good job Don.

Transportation into and on the ground is a difficult and an ever- changing process. The last flight we sent in was met by a road block and an unruly crowd with sticks. The UN, police, and Dr. Guy put down the unrest but it is getting more complicated and difficult there as you can imagine. The people are getting more and more desperate as the population numbers in these rural communities increases and supplies dwindle. There are also Political factions now using the opportunity to try to build a constituency and some control by having the goods in their possession. More to come on this as I better understand it.


We had some issues with some of our supplies being taken yesterday by force by the French Army. It's a clear sign that the coordination of all the relief in Haiti is and will continue to be a BIG challenge as we go forward. On a good note, 40,000 lbs of supplies from the Sint Maarten / St. Marten area clubs got through to Rotary's storage in PaP after a very complex transportation route, so we can get it done.

A Salvation Army volunteer helps a woman with food and water at a food distribution.
Photo Source: The Salvation Army Blog USA

We are setting up a more permanent and defined response committee for the ongoing relief. Our 1st meeting is 4:00PM tomorrow and I will share the structure of it with you after the meeting.


Have a good day
PDG Dick


PS: Here is a further update on the "Goods taken by force" issue:
An update on the Shelter Box issue from this morning's update.


What happened was the Shelter Boxes were sent into a Rotary warehouse in error and they (Shelter Box and French army) had come to get them back. Those in the warehouse as I can tell did not realize this recieving error and accepted the supply, and were not happy that they were being taken away from them.


Shelter Box and the Rotarian Haiti ground team met this morning and have sorted out the issue and should be good going forward. Understand that there is a lot of confussion on the ground given the circumstances and Shelter Box has been working extraordinaruily hard to get the boxes to where they need to go in the midst of this confussion and in very difficult circumstnces since the very begining.


They are doing a great job.
PDG Dick

Children enjoy returning to school, which helps them escape from the trauma of the earthquake. Photo Source: The Salvation Army Blog USA

Humanity in Motion in Haiti

Video: You Tube -Rotary International Channel

UPDATE FROM HAITI: PRID Barry Rasin- January 27

Salvation Army Volunteers are seen unloading and setting up for distribution food and water. The distribution totaled more than 260,000 meals, 1600 gallon bottles of water to help in preparation of the meals. The entire distribution effort was concluded in four hours. Source: Salvation Army Blog USA

On Wednesday January 27, 2010 a delegation of Rotarians (PRID Barry Rassin, RIDE John Smarge, PDG Richard McCombe and PP Carla McCombe, DGE Diana White) and others visited Haiti to meet with Rotarian leaders on the ground, visit the epicenter and further coordination of Rotary relief efforts to Haiti. PRID Barry Rassin has issued the following summary.

Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts Summary

District 7020

January 27, 2010

On Wednesday January 27, 2010 a delegation of Rotarians (PRID Barry Rassin, RIDE John Smarge, PDG Richard McCombe and PP Carla McCombe, DGE Diana White) along with one Orthopedic Surgeon (Dr. Patrick McGrath) who would stay, and ZNS News Anchor Jerome Pyfrom and Videographer Burton Wallace flew from Nassau to Pignon, Haiti. Our purpose was not to visit the epicenter but to meet with the Rotarian Leaders who have working tirelessly to bring relief to all they can.

We met at the Hôpital de Bienfaisance de Pignon which is run by DGN Dr. Guy Theodore. Dr. Theodore, AG Caleb Lucien and Adele Noel-Romelus from Pignon met us at the airport and transported us to the Hospital. AG Dr. Claude Surena, PP George Nicolas and Jean-Baptiste Brown flew to Pignon from Port-au-Prince to join us and ensure that we understand the present conditions and anticipated short term future needs of the most affected areas. Dr. Surena is our Rotary Disaster Chair for Haiti and also the President of the Haitian Medical Association and was appointed by President Preval to coordinate the receipt and distribution of all medical relief. His complete involvement into the relief efforts of the country is a great help for us to understand what is happening and what we need to do to assist. The Rotarians from Pignon have been coordinating the delivery of items sent in by Rotary to ensure they get to the appropriate people.

We only had a few hours as Dr. Surena had to return to meet with President Preval. When the meeting concluded we toured the Hospital which is overloaded with victims from the earthquake. We also toured the Hosean Mission and saw the housing for visiting physicians.

Below I have summarized the primary points made during our meeting:

The Government of Haiti immediately called a State of Emergency for three months which will enable an easier and more efficient entry of goods and medical personnel into the country. This could be extended to six months.

The acute relief efforts are coming to an end over the next couple days.

The next phase will be on fixed clinics and then hospitals as the medical care becomes much more focused.

They are working closely with the World Health Organisation to get the supplies and equipment needed for patient care.

Orthopedic supplies and strong antibiotics (Bactrim, Cipro and Keflex) are still the most urgently needed in the medical area and will be for some time.

72 yr. old retired Salvation Army officer Lt. Col. Herb Rader undertakes an operation in the Salvation Army clinic in Port-au-Prince. (Photo: Jeremy Watt/The Salvation Army Canada and Bermuda Territory)Source: The Salvation Army Blog USA


The Hospitals have been treating and the patients are recovering to go home but they have no home to go to. The plan is to put tents up next to the Hospitals in order to provide a step down situation for the patients out of the hospital.

They estimate a need of 200,000 tents to house those who lost their homes. Not necessarily full blown shelter boxes but just the tents.

Dr. Surena suggested that one possible Rotary project, in partnership with other agencies, would be to establish a Rehabilitation Center for all those who need Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Psychosocial Counseling. In conjunction with the facility we need to establish a workshop for artificial limbs (DGE Diana White has begun discussions with the Rotary Jaipur Limb Project to plan for establishing locally the necessary workshops). There have been a substantial number of persons with crushed limbs resulting in amputations.

The School System in Port-au-Prince has been shut down. Those migrating to unaffected areas of the country are now causing an overflow situation in all schools that are available to continue. Many children have no school to attend.

The Government is now setting up a committee to handle the airport landing priorities as the Port-au-Prince airport has been overwhelmed.

Significant Rotary manpower will be needed but not yet.

They are in great need for psychological counselors who speak Creole.

There is probably no more need for Rotary to supply medical teams as other organizations have now geared up and are providing appropriate manpower in the medical arena.

There is an urgent need for Food and water and that will continue for some time. While fixed and pre-prepared foods are good they would like to see more of a focus on staple goods like Rice and Beans. They will need to provide about 150,000 meals per day for many months to come. They are able to buy some of the basic food items locally for distribution if they could receive cash donations to do so. That would also help the economy.

They need clothes including shoes as they lost all of their possessions. They ask for separated and sorted clothes.

They understand the need for an overall plan for relief and will begin on that task as they can; however they must do all they can to sustain life and develop an ability for the population to become self sufficient in the short term.

They have begun a concerted effort to locate Rotarians from all of the five Rotary Clubs that were affected. We will develop a report from each of the five Rotary Clubs so that we can also support them and assist them as individuals as they are also victims of the disaster. They have lost everything and need our help.

We are considering the purchase of a truck for Rotary in Haiti in order to help them move the high volume of supplies from the ports or the airports to those that have been targeted for distribution and assistance. What Rotary sends in aid is received by Rotarians and distributed to those in need.

All of these priorities listed does not mean that there are not other needs like x-ray machines, autoclaves, or specific supplies, but these listed are considered the top priorities for Rotary to pursue.

We in Nassau are now organizing a cargo ship to take into Port-au-Prince all the collected supplies from Rotary in The Bahamas, The Red Cross and the Methodist Conference. We are able to fill about 12 containers or more and so it will be much more effective to spend about $40,000 for the ship to transport the goods. We will ship when the Port is ready to accept which is expected in two weeks. We will need the cash to pay for the ship but the containers are being lent to us at no charge. Again our Rotarians will meet and unload and distribute.


The Rotarians in Haiti greatly appreciate the outpouring of support from Rotary in The Bahamas and the District 7020 but also from all the neighboring districts and around the world. They are strong and positive and will continue to work to bring their country to the healthy, vibrant and productive country that it needs to be.

They specially thanked PDG Richard (Dick) McCombe for his incredible support and assistance from the first moment of the disaster. They also thanked RIDE John Smarge and DGE Diana White for our District 7020 for taking the time to fly in for this visit. They also appreciate the hard work being done by Rotarians within our District led by our excellent District Governor Errol Alberga.

We ask Rotary Clubs and Rotary Districts to consider the above and work with us to focus on their needs for today. However, please keep in mind that this is a long term relief effort and we will be part of the rebuilding and will need significant cash to participate in meaningful projects as time goes by and we have a plan in place for us to help implement.

I am proud to be a Rotarian and know that Rotary around the world will work side by side with our Rotarians in Haiti to bring them to a new and positive era for their country.

Happy residents benefit from a orderly and dignified process of receiving food from a generous and caring world via The Salvation Army. 261,000 meals were distributed in four hours by volunteers and staff of The Salvation Army’s Earthquake relief operation in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Source: The Salvation Army Blog USA

Please stay current with the needs as the transitioning of relief efforts will continue.

Barry Rassin

PRID 2006-2008

Source: Rotary International District 7020

EARLYACTORS COLLECT WITH COMPASSION FOR HAITI

Rotarian Natasha Parchment-Clarke had bribed her friend Sophia Alexandropoulos with a belly full if she would spend the morning driving her mini-bus to collect donated children’s clothes from schools in Montego Bay with EarlyAct clubs and deliver them to the Salvation Army headquarters. So over a hearty homemade breakfast, the route was planned, appointments were made and then the duo set off with Maxi Priest energizing them on the stereo.

The first stop was Naz Children’s Centre in Ironshore where the children’s clothes drive began as an idea of the EarlyAct secretary – 7 year old O’Neil Campbell. The school secretary and the Principal appeared with bag after bag of clothing, shoes and blankets until the mini-bus was filled to capacity – the door was slammed shut and the bags pressed down so Sophia could see out the back. Click Here to read more on this amazing effort by our EarlyActors!

Immediate Medical Needs in Haiti -- Updated January 21

Dear all,

Here is the latest list issued by Claude


Immediate Medical Needs in Haiti -- Updated 21 Jan 10


Antibiotics (oral & IV):


Cloxacillin
Amoxil
Bactrim
Cipro
Fucidin and or Bactroban
Futhithalmic/ophthalmic gtts/oint


Analgesics: (liquid, tablet, injectable, IV)
Tylenol or Advil
Codiene
Morphine or Demeral injectable


Other Medicines:
Gravol liquid, tabs, injectable
Xylocaine 1% or 2% with and without
Anti-inflamatories (oral and IV)
Anti-asthmatics (oral and oral sprays)
Anti-bacterial solutions
IV fluids -- NACL, Dextrose 5%, DW with NACL Ringer lactate


Orthopedic Supplies:
Steinman pins
K-wires
Splints
Casts
Cast padding
K-nails
External fixators
Bandages
Betadine
Alcohol
Orthopedic drills
Big scissors
Softbank gauze
Surgical masks


Other Supplies:


Gauze, cling, dressing supplies, bandaging (all sizes)
Adhesives
Suture materials
Disinfectants (wound care/sterile saline, etc)
Gloves
Syringes â?" 1cc/2cc/5cc/10cc
Needles (22, 25, 18gauge)
Alcohol
Plastics bags
IV sets, a lot


Immediate Food Needs in Haiti


Rice
Beans
Cornmeal
Dried foods
Canned foods
Powdered milk


PDG Dick


Source: Rotary District7020 Haiti Updates Blog

Update from PDG Dick: January 25

The day before yesterday we had a couple flights come in from the US with medical supplies gathered by our South Florida Rotarians with the pick up coordinated by PDG's Larry Labadie and Phil Lustig. They came in on two planes owned by friends of ours from Kentucky.

Yesterday was a very rewarding day as were able to reach the suffering on the ground directly again with 6 flights of medical supplies. There were 4 from the Bahamas and 2 from the DR with an aircraft provided by the BVI. There may have been a few others that came in, but I was in Pignon Haiti and missed all emails and phone calls. Our DR Rotarians (Charles Adams) have been very generous in resupplying the flights from Port de Paix in the DR to save the return flight to the BVI for supplies.

We brought Dr. Kevin Tetsworth into Pignon with us yesterday who hails from Australia. He is an Orthopedic Surgeon who has volunteered to help out while on vacation. Unfortunately he is desperately needed in Les Cayes but Dr. Leger said to hold off until we get the Orthopedic supplies there necessary to do the surgeries. There are currently 50 waiting at his hospital. Pignon has some limited supplies left so only the surgeries that they have the supplies for are being done.

I flew into Pignon on one of the flights yesterday with supplies and a number of Bahamian Rotarians. We were graciously met by Guy Theodore, Caleb Lucien, ADG Adele, President Evinel and a contingent of local Rotarians. We went to Dr. Theodore's house and held a meeting at which we discussed our relief efforts, their needs and tried to understand clearly how best we could help them and what direction things would take going forward. This was very productive and helpful. I am going in on Wednesday with RIDE John Smarge, PRID Barry Rassin, DGE Diana White, and PP Carla. We will meet with Haiti Disaster Chair Dr. Claude Surena, PAG Nessim, PAG Caleb, DGN Guy. We are going to try to get a consensus of the stages relief that will be required and a cleared understanding of what role our fellow Haitian Rotarians want us to take. They will guide us on this.

After our meeting we toured Dr. Guys Hospital in Pignon. Most of the patients came from one of the affected areas. They had been brought there in the back of a truck bed by surviving family members or total strangers. These was a young girl going into have both her legs amputated. The Volunteer Doctor that met us told us that her mother had arrived with her after struggling for her own life. As I understood it she had not eaten for days, and had lost her other 2 children and her husband. Carla came with two duffle Bags of Teddy bears and she gave the first one to her. We gave the Teddies to all the children in the hospital. Tragically there were some that did not even know they got one. The pain and suffering that those poor people suffer is something none of us will ever comprehend.

After that we toured Calebs Camp where he is housing some of the refugee children. They were cooking up dinner for 200 that were at the Hospital. The venue could well turn up to be a refugee Shelter site. I will keep you posted.

Our St. Croix shipment encountered mechanical problems and has been working on them. It is now scheduled into PaP tomorrow morning.

My classmate Phil Lustig and Larry Labadie have consolidated another shipment and the flight is due into them in Vero Beach tomorrow morning. If they can turn the flight around in time, they may make a run into Pignon with the supplies.

We have 8 doctors that arrived in Miami tonight that we are trying to get into the hospitals in Haiti. We are trying to coordinate that right now. Worst case, is they come to Nassau tomorrow and go into Haiti Wednesday.

We have a couple of Dialysis machine offers that we are still coordinating. One is on the way to South Florida right now. I am waiting on Dr. Claude Surena's advice as to where it needs to go.

Dr. Greg Hoeksema from Cayman is in town with us on his way to Haiti. He has spent the day with local Rotarians inventorying the medical supplies and sorting them so we can more easily send them out to the specific hospitals based on their exact needs.

I urgently still need an Autoclave and a Dermatome. The Autoclave is the tool sterilization piece of equipment, and the Dermatome is used to lift the skin for the skin grafting. Can anyone help with this?

We have a Telethon tonight in Nassau to raise some additional funds. I will let you know how we make out.

I know Jamaica was trying to get some goods into Haiti but had been struggling with the Southern Command air restrictions so I await the results of that. All disaster coordinators need to send me any new relevant info so that I can post it.

I'll keep you posted.

Thanks
PDG Dick

Source of Videos : CNN