Mercy Corps Aid Worker Headed to Haiti to Start Earthquake Relief Efforts

Portland, OR — The first member of Mercy Corps’ emergency relief team is headed to Haiti tonight from Portland, OR. He will be joined by several more colleagues – all experienced professionals who have responded to disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar – within the next 24 – 48 hours.

This will be the second trip to an earthquake-devastated area in two years for Mercy Corps staffer Gene Kunze, who spent six months in the Wenchuan earthquake zone of China in 2008. “We are eager to get on the ground in Haiti and begin addressing the most pressing needs of survivors. The needs are tremendous. We hear that hundreds of thousands of people may have been killed and many more have been affected,” said Kunze.

The Mercy Corps team is headed to Haiti in the wake of a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that rocked the nation yesterday. Team members will assess damage, and seek to fulfill immediate needs of quake survivors. They will also focus on Mercy Corps’ strength: Helping communities rapidly transition from immediate relief to long-term rebuilding and recovery efforts. The agency has a long track record of helping people in the world’s hardest places recover from natural disaster and conflict.

The earthquake exacerbates an already dire humanitarian situation in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Mercy Corps is well positioned to assist survivors. The agency aided families after earthquakes in Peru in 2007, China and Pakistan in 2008, and Indonesia last year.

HOW TO HELP:

Mercy Corps
Haiti Earthquake Fund
Dept NR
PO Box 2669
Portland, OR 97208

www.mercycorps.org
1-888-256-1900