“Craig Lehman, Lancaster County Commissioner, has provided the following information from the U.S. Department of State for individuals wishing to contribute to the Haitian relief effort or who are attempting to contact family members in Haiti.
The State Department Operations Center has set up the following number for Americans seeking information about family members in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747 (due to heavy volume, some callers may receive a recording). The U.S. Embassy is still in the early stages of contacting American Citizens. Communications are very difficult within Haiti at this time.
Private Offers of Assistance for Haiti Relief Efforts
Anyone wishing to donate or provide assistance in Haiti following the devastating earthquake that struck near Port au Prince on Jan 12, 2010, is asked to contact the Center for International Disaster Information. The Center, operated under a grant from the United States Agency for International Development’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance and initial support from IBM, has become a valuable resource to the public. CIDI has established a dedicated page to coordinate Haiti support at: http://www.cidi.org/incident/haiti-10a/
You can also use your cell phone to make a donation to the Haitian relief effort. Text “HAITI” to “90999” and a donation of $10 will be given automatically to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts, charged to your cell phone bill. Or you can go online to organizations like the Red Cross and Mercy Corps to make a contribution to the disaster relief efforts.
The U.S. Department of State website contains contact information for those looking for family members, as well as donation information.
Official U.S. Department of State blogsite called, “A Disaster in Haiti and How You Can Help”. Contains information on ways to provide assistance.
