Response team from Chilmark based charity on standby after Haiti earthquake
Getting out to the country is proving difficult
A Chilmark based response charity say they have a team on standby to go and help out after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Haiti.
Serve On were planning to send their International Response Team on Saturday (14th August) but Covid has caused some issues with getting out there.
However, the team remains on standby as they monitor the aftermath of the natural disaster.
As of yesterday (Tuesday 17th August) nearly 1,500 people have been confirmed to have died in the quake, while almost 7,000 people have been seriously injured.
A group from the charity went out to Haiti in 2010 when a devastating earthquake hit the country.
They were there to help the search and rescue mission to find people who may have been trapped in buildings or elsewhere.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Head of Office in Haiti had, after an aerial assessment over the affected area with the Haitian Prime Minister and Senior Government Officials, insisted that no Urban Search And Rescue assistance was needed immediately.
But he said teams should continue to monitor the situation from the reports that will be shared when available.
Serve On Operations Director Dan Cooke, said:
“The location is one we have worked in before and the people there have very hard lives and a 7.2 hit and tropical storm coming through on Monday is just staggering to work through.
“The team is chasing options to assist.
"Either way we are ‘chasing the curve’ all the way, seeking the common operating picture until we cannot or should not proceed.
“Our thoughts are with the tough and incredible Haitians. The Haitian Government stated yesterday that teams are requested not to mobilise and to stay monitoring. I hope this is the right course as being too late is horrible.”
The charity have had to adapt their services over the last 18 months due to the pandemic.
Like many, they're facing big drops in income after fundraising events were cancelled last year.
They're asking people to help support their future by going to their website.