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Haitian relief efforts slow

The amount of money donated for aid and assistance to the people of Haiti after the earthquake by Americans, individuals, foundations and corporations totals at least $333 million. That sum is dwarfed by the money donated at this same time interval for the SE Asian tsunami and for Hurricane Katrina.

Donations have slowed. The economy is in much poorer shape than it was at the end of 2004 and in 2005, when the other disasters happened. Corporations don’t have the money. Foundations have lost much of their endowments’ value in the stock market. People are out of work or restraining their charity due to the economy.

That said, the need of the people of Haiti is no less than it was on January 12. To add to the challenges they face, hurricane season is about four months away and Haiti is hit by several every year. Imagine living in a tent or under a tarp in a hurricane. Please consider how you can help.

At this point nearly every Roman Catholic parish in the United States has held a second collection for Haiti. We have located the amounts donated for only 8 dioceses and archdioceses out of over 175 in the country. Those eight have donated over $2.1 million to Catholic Relief Services.

We have prepared a pdf file listing some of the donations that we have been able to find for Haiti relief. That link is here. We recognize that it is incomplete. It will be updated often.

As we learned in the aftermath of the Indonesian tsunami, not all aid and assistance is created equal. Many commitments by national governments and international governmental agencies are never funded. Other pledges by these groups actually consist of low interest loans or debt forgiveness to the stricken nation.

Aid organizations affiliated with churches did the best in delivering aid after the tsunami. Their people were on the ground and living with the people who needed their help. Large NGO’s and government agency types just flew in, stayed at the best hotels, and flew out. There was little attempt to work with the local leaders and address local needs. They just dictated and flew away.

This list is not complete. There are and will be many local and regional aid events, and groups to provide that aid. In addition, many groups do not have the resources to put out a press release and update a website.

USGS map showing anticipated shake damage areas due to the Haiti earthquake

USGS map showing anticipated shake damage areas due to the Haiti earthquake

Here are the websites for a few of the organizations responding to the Haitian earthquake.

Updated information about the earthquake in Haiti at this link

For a growing collection of U.S. military photos from the Haiti earthquake, got to this collection at Flickr.

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Table of contents for Haiti quake 2010

  1. Massive earthquake strikes Haiti
  2. Earthquake in Haiti – aftershocks continue
  3. Haiti earthquake aid
  4. Haiti quake damages pile up
  5. Horror in Haiti – the morning after the quake
  6. U.S. quickly responds to Haiti quake
  7. Infrastructure hurdles to Haiti quake relief
  8. U.S. Coast Guard on location in Haiti right now
  9. Strong aftershocks continue in Haiti
  10. PR Guard standing by – Gitmo damaged by Haiti quake
  11. Paras and Marines on alert for Haiti move
  12. Earthquake in Haiti update for January 13 evening
  13. Earthquake in Haiti – January 14 morning update
  14. Marines ready to assist Haiti after earthquake
  15. Earthquake in Haiti – Update for January 14 evening
  16. FEMA report on Haiti relief efforts for January 15
  17. Out of the night sky – Air Force secures Port-au-Prince airport
  18. Earthquake in Haiti – January 15 evening
  19. Haiti Quake Relief Funding Numbers
  20. But people are dying – thoughts on the Haitian disaster
  21. Aftershocks continue to rock Haiti
  22. Earthquake in Haiti – Update for January 16
  23. Haiti Quake Relief Funding Numbers for Jan 16
  24. Hospital ship Comfort sails for Haiti
  25. Baby delivered during Haiti evacuation
  26. Navy is delivering supplies to Haiti victims
  27. Hospital ship Comfort racing to Haiti
  28. Country club serves as forward base for Paras in Haiti
  29. Situation at Port-au-Prince airport improving
  30. Sanjay Gupta Assists Vinson Medical Team in Haiti
  31. USAID Update on the Haiti relief operation January 18
  32. Air drop to aid Haitian victims of earthquake
  33. Haiti Quake Relief Funding Numbers for Jan 18
  34. Earthquake in Haiti – morning update January 19
  35. Los Angeles rescuers save Haitian woman
  36. Stories from Haiti – update for Jan 20 morning
  37. American volunteers in Haiti
  38. American donations for Haiti earthquake relief – Jan 21
  39. Haiti earthquake relief update for Jan 21
  40. Haitians receiving care and support aboard Bataan
  41. Hospital ship Comfort healing, hugging Haitians
  42. Brief update on Navy and Marine relief efforts in Haiti Jan 23
  43. Fort Hood veterinary services unit sent to Haiti
  44. Harbor damage in Port-au-Prince
  45. American giving for Haiti relief as of January 25
  46. Comparison of Haiti donations to Katrina and the tsunami
  47. Haitian Coast Guard base becomes hub for quake relief
  48. Comparison of Haiti donations to Katrina and the tsunami Jan 28
  49. High tech warbird aids Haiti relief efforts
  50. High-speed ferrys en route to Haiti
  51. Southern Command briefs on Haiti situation
  52. Paras opening roads in Haiti
  53. Aid from Dominican Republic via Kentucky National Guard
  54. Haitian assistance stories for February 3
  55. Haitian relief efforts slow
  56. Marine calls Leogane Haiti home
  57. Haiti earthquake relief update for February 7
  58. Army medics at work in Haiti relief effort
  59. Haiti earthquake relief funding update for February 14
  60. Keeping Haitians informed
  61. A tent means a lot to Haitian orphans
  62. Italian troops aid paras in Haiti rubble clearance
  63. Landslide in Haiti tests Special Ops rescuers
  64. Navy and Marines bridge Haitian divide from government
  65. Haitian earthquake relief – update for February 28
  66. Haitian earthquake update – March 4
  67. Air Guard Engineers Help Haitians
  68. Things are baaaaad in Haiti

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at 9:10 pm and is filed under Original writing, Analysis, Charity, Original writing, Commentary, Disasters, Original writing, Original writing, Reporting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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