Haiti

My colleagues and I are deeply distressed at the news of what appears to be a very powerful 7.0 earthquake that struck our neighbour Haiti this afternoon.
Our information is that the anticipated threat of a tsunami affecting The Bahamas and other neighbouring states has apparently diminished but there may be some high tides as a result of the earthquake.

We have not yet received any reliable reports of loss of life or damage to property but it is to be expected that the impact of such a powerful earthquake would be severe.

Caribbean countries react to devastation in Haiti
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries were on Wednesday reacting to the trail of death and destruction caused by the powerful earthquake that rocked Haiti on Tuesday.

Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana both announced one million US dollars each in immediate relief to Port au Prince, while St. Lucia said it would provide assistance under the wider CARICOM initiative.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Mexico will join forces to help in the reconstruction of Haiti in the medium and long-term, particularly in the area of health and the provision of tents and shelters.
In a Declaration issued at the conclusion of the first Mexico-CARICOM Summit held in Mexico on 21 February, the Heads of State and Government of Mexico and CARICOM acknowledged the urgent need to contribute to the international cooperation efforts to reconstruct Haiti and to ensure its long-term development.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) As the Caribbean Community‘s (CARICOM) team in Port-au-Prince prepares to relocate to the town of Leogane, a Transition Mission is underway to facilitate the Community’s health initiative in Haiti.
CARICOM had identified health as the primary but not exclusive focus of the Community’s intervention in Haiti following the 12 January devastating earthquake. The Community’s intervention, which began on 14 January, was initially located in Port-au-Prince at two sites during the emergency relief phase.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Residents of an isolated community on the outskirts of the town of Leogane, Haiti, on Thursday were overjoyed at receiving medical attention and supplies of food from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) contingent.
Led by the Jamaican Defence Force (JDF), the contingent carried out a medical outreach exercise in their neighbourhood as part of an on-going daily programme that began forty days ago.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The Haitian Government has identified the town of Léogane and its environs as the preferred location for the health intervention of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

Bridgetown, Barbados, February 11, 2010 (CDEMA) - CARICOM sends a regional eight member team of health personnel to Haiti. The team of specialists from Barbados and Saint Lucia left for Haiti today to begin two weeks of voluntary service. These individuals will provide emergency and specialized health care to earthquake victims and compliment the work of teams from the Sub Regional Focal Point Jamaica.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) More than 300 persons from eleven Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Member States and Associate Members have so far been involved in the response to the devastating earthquake which struck Haiti on 12 January.
The Region’s initial response was spearheaded by Jamaica, the sub-regional focal point with responsibility for the northern geographic zone of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) which includes Haiti among its five countries. CDEMA is the regional response mechanism for natural disasters.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) His Excellency Edwin Carrington, Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary-General yesterday signalled the Community’s commitment, in the long term, towards Haiti’s recovery and reconstruction.

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) the Hon Roosevelt Skerrit said CARICOM would have discussions with the University of the West Indies (UWI) with a view to creating special programmes for displaced tertiary students in Haiti.

He was responding to queries at a press conference, in Paramaribo, Suriname, following the inaugural CARICOM Summit on Youth Development, 29-30 January.