Here is an update for Thursday January 14, 2010:

American Red Cross Support
Today, The American Red Cross released an additional $9 million for earthquake relief in Haiti, bringing our commitment to $10 million. In addition, disaster management specialists are arriving in the Dominican Republic today and will travel by land to the disaster zone. These individuals join the 15-person staff we already have on the ground in Haiti as well as thousands of local Red Cross volunteers. As airports begin accepting relief shipments and more commercial flights, tarps, cooking sets, hygiene items and other supplies from the American Red Cross warehouse in Panama will be distributed to an initial 5,000 families. We have been told that the Red Cross presence has been very reassuring.

Global Support
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is helping to reconnect separated families within the country. They have established a special Web site, enabling persons in Haiti and abroad to search for and register the names of relatives missing since the earthquake: www.icrc.org/familylinks. ICRC staff members and a plane carrying 40 tons of supplies – mainly medical items – is expected to arrive shortly. Included are specialized kits to help treat the wounded, basic medicines and chlorine for water treatment. Other Red Cross partners have deployed a mobile hospital as well as medical teams to support it as well as more than 40 others who can coordinate the relief activities, including sheltering, water, sanitation and telecommunications.

Your Support
Since launching our Text to Help campaign at 8 p.m. Tuesday January 12, The American Red Cross has already received more than $3 million in donations as of this morning. Mobile donors have been texting “HAITI” to 90999 to send a $10 donation to the Red Cross to support Haiti Relief Operations. We are grateful this mobile fundraising opportunity, and for the support of the State Department and other government leaders to draw attention to this important program. The needs in Haiti are tremendous and we want to thank the people who continue to donate and help the American Red Cross meet that need. Raising this amount of money $10 at a time is a true testament to the American spirit. The American Red Cross is still accepting donations, and mobile donors can text "Haiti" to 90999 to send a $10 donation to the Red Cross. People who want to help those affected by the Haitian earthquake can also make a donation to the American Red Cross International Response Fund at Redcross.org or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS.

Details are changing rapidly so stay tuned to the blog for more updates. You can also keep posted by visiting the National Disaster Online Newsroom. To donate now, or find out how you can help, click here. You can help to make this a story of hope and survival.

Stay tuned!
Michael

Michael Braeuninger is the International Services Supervisor for the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter.