DISASTER RELIEF INFORMATION FROM UTAH HOMELAND SECURITY

January 15, 2010 – Utah Homeland Security

Here is some information about donations during the response to the Haiti earthquake and other disasters that you might find helpful. Much of it comes from the Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI) along with some Utah specific information.

Utah Division of Homeland Security

General Information for Donations during the Response to the Haiti Earthquake and Other Disasters

Citizens and businesses of Utah who are interested in donating or helping victims of the Haiti earthquake and other international disasters are encouraged to follow the guidelines of the Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI) which include:

• Monetary contributions to established relief agencies are always the most useful response to disasters
  
• Confirm there is a need for all items being collected.
  
• Deliver items only to organizations having local distribution capacity
  
• Donate only to organizations having the ability to transport collected items to the affected region
  
• Never assume the U.S. Government or any relief agency will transport unsolicited relief items free of charge
  
• Volunteer opportunities for disaster relief are extremely limited
  

More details on these guidelines are available at http://www.cidi.org/guidelines/guide_ln.htm. In addition to a page dedicated to the current Haiti disaster (http://www.cidi.org/incident/haiti-10a/), the CIDI web-site also provides opportunities to donate goods and services for international disaster relief as well (see the Register Offers tab).

For a disaster in Utah or the United States, the same guidelines apply. It is commonly understood in emergency management that money is easier for donation recipient organizations. These organizations can purchase goods and services closer to the area in need which reduces transportation and handling costs. Spending money close to the victims also stimulates the affected area's local economy. Some emergency managers encourage individuals to avoid donating their used goods by selling the unwanted items and donating the proceeds to disaster relief.

For local and national donations, the State of Utah participates in the National Donations Management Network. A web-based product allows potential donations recipient organizations around the county to post their needs and for local businesses and organizations to offer their goods and services. These needs and offerings are then matched up to best fit the needs of the impacted area. The system is still developing in Utah and has been successfully used in most of the major disasters across the nation in recent years.

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The International Committee of the Red Cross has established a family linking Web site, enabling persons in Haiti and abroad to search for and register the names of relatives missing since the earthquake. http://www.icrc.org/familylinks

Here are two website links that connect to the White House and the U.S. Department of State website for the Haiti earthquake.

White House
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/01/13/help-haiti

U.S. Dept. of State
http://www.state.gov/p/wha/ci/ha/index.htm