EDV's assessment team arrived in Haiti on 10th June and is currently looking into how EDV can support local recovery efforts.
On January 10, 2010 a 7.0 earthquake struck 15km (10 miles) south-west of Hati's capital, Port-au-Prince. It was quickly followed by a series of strong aftershocks. While initial death tolls were placed around 200,000, it is now believed that the death toll is closer to 300,00. Today, more than 1 million people are homeless and now facing the hurricane season.
The earthquake in Haiti devastated the country's infrastructure. Already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere prior to the earthquake, it has now seen the destruction of many of its hospitals, school, roads, and government headquarters. Recovery in Haiti will take many years and demand the sustained, collaborative efforts of charities, communities, and individuals worldwide.
On June 10th, EDV Executive Director Andrew Chaggar and Media and Marketing Director Emma Taylor will be travelling to Haiti to look into how EDV can support local recovery and add our skills to the efforts which are bringing hope to Haiti.
On arrival we'll begin working closely with GrassRoots United, an organisation pioneering a new model of disaster response which provides a base of operations connecting relief workers, social groups and humanitarian organisations directly with local resources. You can check them out here.
If you want to learn more about the earthquake which has devastated Haiti and the relief efforts which have been on-going on the ground, check out AlertNet's comprehensive collection of articles here.
To keep up with our activities on the ground in Haiti you can follow us on Twitter or find us on Facebook. If you have questions about EDV's activities in Haiti, please contact us.
We aren't currently registering volunteers in Haiti, but if you're interested in the possibility of getting involved on the ground don't hesitate to contact us using the link above.
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