Czechs respond to Haiti quake

The government and local charities are taking part in international relief efforts to help the victims of the Jan. 13 Haiti earthquake. The military is on standby to provide assistance but cannot fly planes into the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince as the airport remains badly damaged and stretched beyond capacity.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry donated 5 million Kč ($277,000) last week, as did the Defense Ministry, and 10 million Kč was pledged from the government's reserve fund with millions more earmarked to aid relief efforts.

Up to 200,000 people are feared to have been killed by the quake. Foreign Affairs Minister Jan Kohout said further funds could be drawn from the 73 million Kč set aside for humanitarian aid in the budget and from other sources.

The Czech military is ready for deployment orders to help relief and reconstruction efforts, especially with healthcare personnel to set up a field hospital. Troops trained to clean contaminated water, as well as assist with policing in the capital, are also ready to deploy.

The Defense Ministry will cover mission costs from its own budget.

The government has also pledged to take part in reconstruction efforts in the years ahead.

Czech charities and humanitarian organizations have raised more than 15 million Kč for the victims of the earthquake with their campaigns.

The Haiti Red Cross - used to dealing with disaster in a country long dogged by poverty, catastrophic natural disasters and political instability - said it is overwhelmed.

In a statement released Jan. 17, the Czech charity People in Need (PIN), which works in Haiti with the Irish charity Concern, warned of the threat of increasing unrest in the Caribbean country. Karel Vrána of PIN recommended a number of ways to make contributions.

"We have a coordinator in Haiti right now, who is monitoring the situation. Donations can be made by bank transfer to SOS Haiti account 40954095/0300, or by sending a text message that says 'DMS SOSHAITI' to the phone number 87777."

An appeal for donations by PIN has so far raised around 6 million Kč. It has already released 2.6 million Kč aimed at providing medicine, food and water to victims. ADRA said it had collected 3 million Kč, and the Catholic Church in Olomouc had raised 2.5 million Kč by Jan. 15.

Up to 10,000 U.S. troops are scheduled to arrive in Haiti to help distribute aid and prevent rioting, amid reports of looting.

The quake's epicenter was only 15 kilometers from Port-au-Prince. About 4 million people live in and around the city.

- Petr Cibulka Jr. contributed to this report.

Tom Clifford can be reached at
tclifford@praguepost.com