Haiti Earthquake Relief
DONATE TO EARTHQUAKE RELIEF
There are several ways you can donate to The Salvation Army’s earthquake relief efforts in Haiti and Chile.
- BY INTERNET
Click here for Haiti
Click here for Chile - BY PHONE
Call 773-725-1100
Please specify if your donation is for Haiti or Chile. - BY MAIL
Send your correspondence/check to:
The Salvation Army Metropolitan Division
5040 N. Pulaski Road
Chicago, IL 60630
Please write Haiti or Chile in the check field
Salvation Army Builds 600 Transitional Shelters For Haitian Earthquake Survivors
Six months after a devastating earthquake destroyed much of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince and the surrounding area, The Salvation Army completed work on 600 housing shelters for homeless Haitians. Approximately 3,000 individuals, on average five per household, will be housed in the newly finished structures. More than 400 Haitians were hired by the Army to clear construction sites of rubble and to build the 600 homes, each 10 by 20 feet in size and designed to last one to three years. Another 1,500 to 2,000 shelters are planned, each of which will take one day to complete at a cost of about $1,800. In all, more than 4,400 shelters will be constructed by The Salvation Army in Haiti over the next 6 to 12 months. The Salvation Army has transitioned from providing for immediate needs -- such as food and water – to providing long-term recovery services to help return survivors to a level of normalcy in their lives. “The ultimate goal of our emergency service in Haiti is to provide the resources for the community to return to self sufficiency at a level that exceeds conditions before the earthquake. These homes are the first steps of many in that direction,” said Lt. Col. Dan Starrett, Executive Director of The Salvation Army World Services Office. The Salvation Army has had a presence in Haiti since 1950, with more than 700 officers and staff operating schools, clinics, a hospital, children’s homes, and feeding programs through 60 Corps community centers. |
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VOLUNTEERS PACKAGE 500,000 MEALS FOR HAITI
More than 1,000 men, women and young people answered the call for volunteers over the May 22-23, 2010 weekend to package half-a-million meals for Haitian earthquake victims.
The huge undertaking was hosted by The Salvation Army Metropolitan Division and Navistar, Inc. and held at Navistar’s Melrose Park, IL facility. It was the second food packaging effort organized by the Metropolitan Division since the January earthquake destroyed much of the capital city of Port-au-Prince and left hundreds of thousands of people without food, water, and shelter.
Volunteers worked two-hour shifts in teams of 13 people each packaging rice, beans, soy protein and 21 vitamins and minerals in plastic bags containing six meals each.
The Salvation Army has been in Haiti since 1950 with more than 700 officers and staff operating schools, clinics, a hospital, children’s homes, and feeding programs through 60 Corps community centers. Since the earthquake, The Salvation Army has taken on additional responsibilities at the direction of the United Nations, which appointed The Army as a “lead agency” responsible for the care of 20,000 earthquake survivors living in makeshift tents or out in the open near the Army’s main compound in Port-au-Prince.
The Haiti undertaking is The Salvation Army’s largest international relief effort since the Tsunami in 2005.
SALVATION ARMY EARTHQUAKE ASSISTANCE IN HIGH GEAR IN HAITI
Two and a half months after a devastating earthquake hit Haiti, The Salvation Army is hard at work providing food, water and medical services to victims of the January 12 earthquake.
To date, the Army has completed 16 flights to the quake-ravaged capital city of Port-au-Prince, delivering 1.35 million pounds of cargo.
Disaster assistance provided includes:
- Meals: more than 4.8 million
- Baby food: 83,500 jars
- Water: 500,000 gallons
- Tens: 3,560 individual and two MASH-type
- Hygiene kits: 4,680 Patients served: more than 23,300
- Patients served: more than 23,300
Salvation Army Metropolitan Division donors responded generously to appeals for Haiti, donating $658,000 to help earthquake victims.
The emergency phase for The Salvation Army in Haiti is expected to last for another six to nine months. During this time The Salvation Army will continue to care for 20,000 displaced people who are living in cramped camp conditions on a soccer field in Port-au-Prince. Emergency assistance also will be ongoing to those who were adversely affected in Jacmel and Petit Goave.
The Salvation Army has had a presence in Haiti since 1950, operating 46 schools, five clinics and children’s homes, and 62 worship and community centers. Some of these facilities were destroyed or badly damaged by the earthquake, and will be rebuilt.
The Salvation Army is committed to standing by the Haitian people as they move into the future.
Haiti Strategy Conference Plans for Long Haul
The Salvation Army’s Major Laurie Robertson reports that recommendations coming out of a Salvation Army international strategy conference held in London confirm that The Salvation Army will be heavily and closely involved in rebuilding Haiti well past the conclusion of the current emergency situation caused by January’s massive earthquake.
The conference was attended by a delegation from The Salvation Army’s Caribbean Territory, representatives from 10 Salvation Army territories involved in the relief and rebuilding process, personnel from The Salvation Army USA National Headquarters, Salvation Army World Service Office (SAWSO), and The Salvation Army International Headquarters.
The emergency phase for The Salvation Army in Haiti is expected to last for another six to nine months. During this time The Salvation Army will continue to care for 20,000 displaced people who are living in cramped camp conditions on a soccer field in Port-au-Prince. Emergency assistance will also be ongoing for those who were adversely affected in Jacmel and Petit Goave.
Read MoreStrong Arms Around Chile
One month following the destructive magnitude 8.8 earthquake and tsunami that struck Chile, The Salvation Army continues distributing help throughout the country. More than 15,000 people have been assisted and 14,000 rations of food provided to individuals and families. Some 350 volunteers have given their help.
A campaign called ‘Strong Arms Around Chile’ has been set up to help collect donations and goods that can be delivered to the neediest Chileans.
In the area around the capital, Santiago, coffee, hot meals and other services continue to be offered.
The south of the country, particularly coastal regions, was most affected by the disaster and this area is where The Salvation Army is focusing its efforts.
The Salvation Army Responds to Chilean Earthquake
Local Salvation Army Forces Mobilized Immediately
Following a devastating 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile during the early hours of Saturday, February 27, Salvation Army Emergency Services were immediately mobilized to provide support and comfort to earthquake victims. The immediate response was to provide food, water, first aid kits, emergency packets, blankets, candles and other urgently required supplies to those impacted by the earthquake. A recently arrived mobile canteen donated by The Salvation Army in the United States is one of the key relief vehicles being used to assist earthquake victims.
The earthquake epicenter was approximately 90 miles northwest of the city of Concepción in Southern Chile. This is approximately 350 miles from the capital of Santiago. Nevertheless, according to officials on the ground, the quake was of a 7.0 magnitude in the Santiago metropolitan region. Water, gas and electricity have been cut off in affected areas, and will stay disconnected until emergency crews can assess the damage and prioritize immediate needs.
The Salvation Army has had a presence in Chile since 1909, offering social services that include hospitals, schools for impoverished children and adult rehabilitation.
Stories of people linked to The Salvation Army's emergency relief effort
Major Kelly Pontsler, an American Salvation Army officer serving as the Army's Public Information Officer in Haiti, shares stories of people linked to The Salvation Army's emergency relief effort
'Dora' and 'Boaz'
The resilience of children is remarkable. Judging from the smiles on the faces of two small girls currently living in the Salvation Army compound in the Delmas 2 area of Port-au-Prince, life is fine - and yet, taking a quick glance at their surroundings, it's hard to imagine how they can be so cheerful.
Last Saturday (6 February) was distribution day. A joint effort between The Salvation Army and World Concern delivered hygiene kits and water jugs to the 3,200 registered families living in the camp adjacent to the Army's property. As there was an abundance of helping hands available to distribute the goods, I stepped back to observe the bigger scene.
The day was warm and the Salvation Army compound was dusty, as usual. Human waste and other debris continues to pile higher every day in the trench that cuts through The Salvation Army's property. The stench is overwhelming. The courtyard of the former divisional headquarters compound has become a tent city, housing people forced from their homes by the earthquake. Sanitation is modest - a bucket of water is still a luxury.
Salvation Army Volunteers Package 1,040,920 meals for
Haiti Earthquake Survivors
More than 4,000 volunteers worked two-hour shifts at the former Seigel Home and Building Center in Elgin to package 1,040,920 meals for Haitian earthquake victims. The goal of one million meals was exceeded by nearly 41,000 extra meals when Elginites and Fox Valley and Chicago-area residents answered the call for volunteers to package meals to ship to Haiti.
The huge undertaking was hosted by The Salvation Army and the City of Elgin and supported by Elgin-area businesses and volunteers, some as young as 8-years of age and some in their 80s. Working in 50 teams of 13 people each, volunteers packaged rice, soy protein, freeze-dried vegetables, and 21 vitamins and minerals in plastic bags containing six meals each. Packaged meals were trucked to Miami then flown to Haitian aid recipients.
The Salvation Army has been in Haiti since 1950 with more than 700 officers and staff operating schools, clinics, a hospital, children’s homes, and feeding programs through 60 Corps community centers. Since the earthquake, The Salvation Army has taken on additional responsibilities at the direction of the United Nations, which appointed The Army as a “lead agency” responsible for the care of 20,000 earthquake survivors living in makeshift tents or out in the open near the Army’s main compound in Port-au-Prince.
Packaging Meals for Haiti: Volunteers in Action
Packaging Meals for Haiti: Media Coverage
