Updated on Coordinated Rapid Response

From Rightsbasedhaiti's blog:

Updated on Coordinated Rapid Response

Posted by rightsbasedhaiti on January 17, 2010

Update on Coordinated Rapid Response
Haiti Earthquake
January 16, 2010
Konbit Pou Ayiti/KONPAY – Working Together for Haiti

Three nights ago a nightmare we hadn’t imagined possible began in Haiti. Like any shocking and horrifying tragedy, we will all remember and tell stories of where we were when we heard about the 7.0 earthquake that shattered Haiti on January 12, 2010. Haiti KONPAY has been playing a critical role coordinating a rapid response to the crisis in both Jacmel and Port-au-Prince. We are currently coordinating efforts to identify and assess needs and also working out logistics to get much needed human and materials resources onto the ground.

Through collaboration with several key partners in the U.S. we are working with a pool of qualified medical professionals and interpreters prepared to travel to Haiti. Beyond Borders is creating a database of potential volunteers and vetting applicants. We are also receiving many helpful offers and are coordinating a team of volunteers following up on the most promising of these. We have outlined a comprehensive rapid response strategy and are contacting other major organizations to share ideas and encourage collaboration. We are seeking meetings with USAID, the UN, the Clintons and others tasked with coordinating international response to share the ideas generated by dozens of smaller NGOs with decades of Haiti experience who are currently working together to carry out immediate response on the ground.

We are pursuing two major strategies right now:

• Delivering immediate support to people on the ground in Jacmel and Port-au-Prince by coordinating the transport of supplies and volunteers. Carefully design volunteer interventions to avoid exacerbating the developing food and water shortages.

• Encouraging the evacuation of Port-au-Prince and establish the resources necessary to assist victims when they arrive in the countryside by assessing existing resources in outlying areas and sending teams and equipment to clinics. Coordinating with Americans living in lesser-affected areas to support with transport vehicles and coordination of volunteers in the field.

Below find reports on the efforts underway with partners in Jacmel and Port-au-Prince, and two assessments from a team already on the ground.

JACMEL

Out today from the UN in Jacmel these are some details of the damage in Jacmel, which is a city of 34,000:

• 1,785 homes completely destroyed

• 4410 homes partially destroyed

• 87 commercial businesses destroyed
• 
54 schools destroyed

• 24 hotels destroyed

• 26 churches destroyed
• 
5730 families displaced
• 
Death count approaching 3,000, nearly 10% of the population
(Reported by Gwenn Mangine, www.mangine.org)...

This site is a good resource, with interesting insights. There is more on this specific column here.