"I, along with all Americans, am heartbroken by the scenes of devastation and death in Haiti," Sen. Voinovich said. "I am encouraged by the emergency rescue and relief teams being sent - including the Ohio Air National Guard, who is already on the ground, and Ohio Task Force One which is staging for deployment - but our friends in Haiti need more help. I encourage all who are able to give of themselves, whether it is with your time or with monetary contributions, to do so as soon as possible. In circumstances like this, single organizations and individuals can come together and change the course of lives."
Many Ohioans are helping with relief efforts including important government led efforts. The Ohio Task Force One, one of 28 Urban Search and Rescue teams managed by FEMA, is staged for deployment to Haiti. Ohio Task Force One team members come from both the private and public sectors and include career and part-time first responders and other professionals. There are more than 200 volunteer team members on Ohio Task Force One who come from across the state of Ohio as well as from other States in the region. The Task Force's focus is to locate and extract victims entombed by structural collapse. Additionally, the Ohio National Guard is assisting with Haiti relief efforts.
There are several ways to donate or volunteer.
The American Institute of Philanthropy has compiled a list of vetted charities giving to the region:
Action Against Hunger
American Jewish World Service
American Red Cross
American Refugee Committee
AmeriCares
CARE
Catholic Relief Services
Church World Service
Doctors Without Borders - USA
International Medical Corps
International Rescue Committee
Lutheran World Relief
Medical Teams International
Mennonite Central Committee
Mercy Corps
Operation USA
Oxfam-America
Project Concern International
Save the Children
Salvation Army
UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief)
World Concerram of Crista Ministries
World Vision
You may also send a text messages from your cellular phone directly to several organizations to have your donation automatically added directly to your cell phone bill:
Send a text to 90999 with the message 'HAITI' to donate $10 to the American Red Cross .
Send a text to 20222 with the message 'HAITI' to donate $10 to U.N. relief efforts, through the William J. Clinton Foundation.
Persons who wish to provide assistance or expertise in Haiti are asked to contact the Center for International Disaster Information which has established a page dedicated to coordinating Haiti support.
U.S. citizens are urged to contact the Embassy via email at acspap@state.gov to request assistance. U.S. citizens in Haiti can call the Embassy's Consular Task Force at 509-2229-8942, 509-2229-8089, 509-2229-8322, or 509-2229-8672. The State Department has also created a task force to monitor the emergency. People in the U.S. or Canada with information or inquiries about U.S. citizens in Haiti may reach the Haiti Task Force at 888-407-4747. Outside of the U.S. and Canada, call 202-501-4444.
The Department of State has also established an e-mail address for people who are trying to contact their U.S. citizen friends and relatives in Haiti. Please send your inquiries to Haiti-Earthquake@State.Gov and include the following information:
The full name, date of birth and passport information (if known) of the persons in Haiti you are trying to contact;
Their contact information in Haiti: telephone numbers, email address, hotel name or address (if known);
Your name and contact information, and your relationship to the person in Haiti (parent, spouse, friend etc.); and
Any special or emergency circumstances.
A travel warning and travel alert have both been issued by the Department of State for Haiti. Haitian citizens in the United States should call the Haitian Embassy in Washington D.C. at 202-332-4090, or the Haitian Consulate in New York City, 305-859-2003 for more information.
