By Gareth Edwards
Edinburgh Evening News, January 15, 2010
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A MASSIVE appeal is launched in Edinburgh today to raise vital funds for the victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti.
Rescuers are calling on the Capital to get behind the urgent aid effort, which will see city-based staff sent out to the impoverished island nation where tens of thousands are feared to have died.
The Evening News is supporting the Edinburgh Disaster Response Committee (EDRC), which is seeking donations through local relief agency Mercy Corps to help survivors of the disaster.
The money will be used to provide essential supplies such as food and water, as well as helping to create temporary shelter for those left homeless.
Mercy Corps spokesman John Cunningham said: "This is a disaster of quite unimaginable magnitude. Many people have perished and many of those who were lucky enough to survive now find themselves in the most desperate of situations.
"There is an immediate need for funds to enable us to deliver basic essentials like food, water and shelter. Getting boots on the ground and aid to survivors in the first few days is essential in terms of minimising further casualties and beginning to help people get back on to their feet."
Edinburgh's Lord Provost, George Grubb, who chairs the EDRC, said: "I'm pleased to have seen very quick action from the Government and aid agencies to deal with the immediate impact of this disaster.
"For our part, we will be looking to the longer-term and trying to provide assistance for the rebuilding of those communities devastated by the earthquake.
"Our staff and people in the Edinburgh area have a long and proud tradition of reaching out to those in less fortunate circumstances. I'm sure they will act with the same compassion and generosity in response to this tragedy."
Mercy Corps has already deployed an emergency response team to Haiti in the wake of Tuesday's 7.3 magnitude earthquake – the worst to hit the region in more than 200 years.
The quake, which has been followed by a series of strong aftershocks, has levelled shanty towns, and destroyed hospitals and government buildings. A lack of equipment means residents are having to dig any survivors out of the rubble with their bare hands.
Basic services and communications have collapsed, while those hospitals still standing are being overwhelmed.
The death toll has seen bodies piled up on the streets of the capital Port-au-Prince, and there are concerns that survivors will be increasingly vulnerable to disease.
Randy Martin, Mercy Corps' director of global emergency operations said: "Initial reports indicate massive damage and widespread casualties. Our team will quickly assess what the most pressing needs are and develop an appropriate response."
The team will also focus on helping communities move from the immediate relief efforts to long-term recovery.
The charity is seeking cash donations, because of the logistical difficulties involved with transporting large quantities of goods, as well as the difficulty in knowing what is most needed.
Mr Cunningham said the situation which would be faced by the emergency teams would be incredibly difficult.
"Travel into and around Haiti is difficult at the best of times but the quake has made it exceptionally difficult to get around," he said.
"This is a very challenging environment in which to mount a relief operation.
"We're seeing a huge impact on the ground, huge loss of life and widespread devastation. Many survivors, including mothers and young children are left sleeping in the streets with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
"They are hungry and frightened and left only with dirty water to drink, increasing the likelihood of diseases like dysentery taking hold.
"The sheer number of unburied bodies also presents a significant risk of disease.
"The poorest areas, where buildings generally consist of makeshift shanty structures, have been levelled, but even the larger more substantial public buildings have been destroyed in many cases. The quake struck at the end of the working day so many office buildings, hospitals, schools and public buildings were heavily occupied when they collapsed."
He added that the scale of the disaster had been magnified by the widespread poverty in Haiti.
"It cannot be emphasised enough how poor and stricken these communities were even before this disaster," he said.
"Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and has suffered extensive devastation from hurricanes in recent years. It is now not just an immediate emergency response needed in the earthquake's aftermath, but a long-term recovery and redevelopment initiative."
The EDRC was set up by Mercy Corps and the city council in 2009, to co-ordinate fundraising and deliver a more effective humanitarian response to the survivors of major disasters.
International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander yesterday said the UK Government was donating more than £6 million to "to help kick-start humanitarian relief in Haiti", with the money to be divided between a number of international agencies, according to an ongoing assessment of need on the ground.
• How to Help: People can help by donating online at www.mercycorps.org.uk/haiti or by calling 0845 245 0686 between 8am and 8pm.
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