Switzerland: Post step up to help Haiti

The UPU is coordinating global postal efforts to help Haiti..

Source:

http://www.upu.int/news_centre/2010/en/2010-01-18_help-haiti.html

Posts around the world are rallying to the assistance of Haiti, struck by an earthquake on January 12.  The Universal Postal Union has already received messages from some of its members pledging assistance, ranging from vehicles to power generators. The UPU is monitoring the situation very closely and, as a United Nations specialized agency, will also work through the United Nations (UN) network to provide assistance to Haiti in a coordinated manner.  "The priority remains saving lives and helping victims of this terrible tragedy," said Edouard Dayan, the UPU's director general. "At the same time, we are looking at how we can help the country provide basic communication services now." Mail services in Haiti are at a standstill. According to local sources, a number of post offices in Port-au-Prince were destroyed and postal staff are among the casualties. The United States Postal Service announced that it was temporarily holding all mail destined to Haiti because normal flight operations by air cargo contractors into and out of the island nation have been cancelled. The UPU is in close contact with its restricted unions in the region and regional coordinator in Saint Lucia and is keeping its members informed of postal developments with its emergency information system (EmIS). Helping out Germany's Deutsche Post DHL sent the first logistics team to Haiti to provide on-the-ground support. Its Disaster Response Team is based at the airport in the capital, Port-au-Prince with eight volunteers. However, as the airport's control tower was destroyed and telephone lines are not working, the team has found it difficult "to bring aid fast to those in need", says DHL. While the trained team is ready for deployment, it is also working with the UN and aid agencies on a memorandum of understanding. "This is needed to provide our expertise at the airport, to ensure that incoming aid is unloaded, inventoried and prepared for onward handling in a steady, well-organized fashion," explains the company.  The company has plans to provide a second support hub at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. This would enable small aircraft to carry freight and people between the two cities. If this fails, the team's back-up plan would be to send goods overland. "This journey may take some ten to twelve hours, rather than the usual three," the company stated.  Special stamp Elsewhere, La Poste (France) has announced that proceeds from the sales of a specially issued stamp will go to the French Red Cross to aid relief efforts in the disaster-struck island. Seven million red stamps featuring the well-known Marianne have been printed. Each will cost one euro; 0.44 cents will be donated to the charity. An estimated 200,000 people have been killed in the earthquake, which measured 7.0 on the Richter scale. The UN and aid agencies launched an appeal for 562 million US dollars to provide immediate assistance for six months to three million Haitians.

Via Yimber Gaviria, Colombia