Hurricane Mitch- Relief Efforts
We are gathering here information about relief efforts. If you have information to add, please click here. I am able to be telephoned at USA 541-686-0277 or 541-686-9209.
We are getting contributions from folks all over, but I would like to give special thanks to Jorge Varela, Julian Rivero, Susan Garcia, and Ray Auxillou for their incredible abilities to dig up the details that make this site so special.
We would ask that you continue to prepare supplies and consider sending them to Honduras. As it now stands, they have been the first line of defense against this awful storm, and have taken the brunt of its fury. They have suffered, and we have been spared. Our hearts go out to our brothers in Honduras. So email or call the Lions Club if you would like to make a donation. The president of the Lion's Club Ruben Gonzalez can be contacted at the San Pedro Town Board at tel #: 011-501-226-2198 e-mail is [email protected]. We don't know the names of those left homeless in Honduras and they will never know ours, but the people of Belize are packing up donations as if they were sending supplies to their own relatives. The gathering of food and clothing is a countrywide effort, but somehow the items all seem to pass through the Honduran Embassy. Ambassador Bueso who, until a few weeks ago was engaged in diplomatic and consular duties, is now at the head of the relief operation which has turned his home into a warehouse and his yard into a transportation depot. Truck load after truck load of items have arrived at the Honduran Embassy since the building opened its doors early this morning. The donation, bound for Honduras sometime this weekend, is to aid the thousands of people left homeless after Hurricane Mitch totally destroyed about seventy two percent of Honduras. The items collected were sent in by religious organizations, schools, the private and public sectors, including concerned individuals from across the country. One of the biggest donations of the day came from a religious recreation center, The Essene Way on San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. The shipment includes three thousand, two hundred buckets filled with food and an enormous amount of clothing. According to Dennis Eiley who accompanied the barge, the items were supplies that Tom Ciola, the center's owner had stockpiled in case it was ever needed in Belize.
Dennis Eiley, Coordinator, Relief Effort Overwhelmed by the steady stream and enormous amount of donations given by the people of Belize is Honduran Ambassador Oscar Bueso. Through the help of his interpreter, Letecia Ramirez, the Honduran diplomat expressed his emotions about the items they've received so far.
Oscar Bueso, Honduran Ambassador to Belize Bueso says whether it is a pound of rice or a can of milk being given, each donation is greatly appreciated. The ambassador says it will be some time before his country recovers from the devastation especially in the northern districts to the capital of Tegucigalpa. So far, seven thousand people have died in Honduras, with hundreds more still unaccounted for. In a short ceremony today, Ambassador Bueso and his staff lowered the Honduran flag and placed a black bow in respect to all those who lost their lives due to Hurricane Mitch. The flag was then hoisted and will be flown at half-mast until things have returned to normal in Honduras. Bueso, says although it will take about a hundred million U.S dollars for Honduras to recover, his government and people remain optimistic about the future of their country.
Oscar Bueso While the staff at the Honduran Embassy work around the clock, collecting items for the hurricane victims, the embassy as well has had to bring comfort to Hondurans residing in Belize and no doubt have lost some of their family members back home. Jacqueline Woods for News Five. I is still very difficult to communicate by phone to Honduras. I am suggesting people contact the American Red Cross in the U.S. or the Embassy of Honduras directly. The Lion's Club here are coordinating donations for the relief in Honduras and Nicaragua.
The president of the Lion's Club Ruben Gonzalez can be contacted at the San
Pedro Town Board at tel #: 011-501-226-2198 e-mail is [email protected].
Larry D. Grider Susan Guberman-Garcia
C/O
San Pedro Town, AC HOW TO SEND AID TO HONDURAS OR OTHER PLACESThe following members of InterAction, a Washington-based association of aid agencies, are accepting contributions for assistance that they or their local affiliates are providing to victims of Hurricane Mitch:American Red Cross, International Response Fund, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013. Telephone: (800) HELP-NOW; Spanish: (800) 257-7575 Baptist World Aid, 6733 Curran St., McLean, Va. 22101-3804. Telephone: (703) 790-8980 Brother's Brother Foundation/Nicaragua, 1501 Reedsdale St., Suite 3005, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15233-2341. Telephone: (412) 321-3160 CARE, 151 Ellis St. NE; Atlanta, Ga. 30303-2426. Telephone: (800) 422-7385 Catholic Relief Services, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, Md. 21203-7090. Telephone: (800) 235-2772 Church World Service, 28606 Phillips St., P.O. Box 968; Elkhart, Ind. 46515. Telephone: (800) 297-1516, ext. 222 Doctors of the World, 375 W. Broadway, 4th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10012 Map International, 2200 Glynco Parkway, P.O. Box 215000, Bruinswick, Ga. 31521-5000. Telephone: (800) 225-8550 Mercy Corps International, 3030 SW First Ave., Portland, Ore. 97201. Telephone: (800) 292-3355, ext. 250 Oxfam America, Central America Relief Fund, 26 West St., Boston, Mass. 02111. Telephone: (800) 776-9326 Partners of the Americas, 1424 K St. NW, Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20005. Telephone: (202) 628-3300 Salvation Army, World Service Office, 615 Slaters Lane, Alexandria, Va. 22313. Telephone: (703) 684-5528 Save the Children, Hurricane Mitch Emergency Appeal, P.O. Box 975-M, 54 Wilton Road, Westport, Conn. 06880. Telephone: (800) 243-5075 United Methodist Committee on Relief, 475 Riverside Drive, Room 330, New York, N.Y. 10115. Telephone: (212) 870-3816 World Relief, P.O. Box WRC, Dept. 3, Wheaton, Ill. 60189. Telephone: (800) 535-5433 World Vision, P.O. Box 9716, Federal Way, Wash. 98063-9716. Telephone: (888) 511-6565
Source: Associated Press http://www.dragonaviation.com John Webster, 734-761-9041 Saturday evening Everyone so far says SEND THE RELIEF TO HONDURAS.
A Lion member suggested I route it through the Lions Club and I agree
that's the best way. Tomorrow I'll get the names of contacts at the Lions
Club in Honduras and see if they can help us move the relief through them.
Also I would like to send food/supplies for donation to other
Belizeans. You and your Corozalaneo boat owners want to go into business. I expect there will be plenty of freight work for a month or more to San Pedro and Caye Caulker. Off hand, I am sure there will be a market for botans, those palmettos they use for sea walls and pier posts. The cement ones are also favored. In 6,7,8 9 ft sizes. Should have a reinforcing rod cast in them and a notch and couple of 5/8 inch holes for bolts for the cross beam. Pier lumber will be needed and probably bought on the spot. 2" x 12" rough for pier main supports, and 2" X 6" dressed for planking.
You want orders, call the Caye Caulker Council, they have a number, ask
them about their front pier and names of people to contact who have
damaged piers along the front. Then call them direct on the telephone
and line up orders. Same with San Pedro. The current message is things are fine in San Pedro," we do not need a relief effort at this time"... " Thank everyone for their concern for the people of San Pedro and Belize." "People should send help to our Honduran brothers" AKA: Tuki Tuki [email protected]
I have purchased a tractor and I will fit all the supplies I currently have in that container, but they will not attempt to head to Belize yet. Best advice is to collect as many things as you can and store them until further word on when and what is the best way to get these supplies to San Pedro and other areas in Belize. If anyone can help in this area or with shipping information please email me. Please email with my name in the subject line also, Sari Vidrine. I will be at the e-mail address: [email protected] until Friday late afternoon since I will be travelling. I will be at this address till tomorrow morning. Then I will be at [email protected] I do not have space to store many items for shipping. That is why I am incouraging people to collect and then ship directly when we know where and what to do. Good luck to all, Godspeed to those in Belize
I think the Lions Club (people like Abel Guerreo and Beto Marin) con be
help getting things set up the island but not how to get things to
Belize or with customs. But since the Lions Club is so strong on A.C.
The international Lion's club could be approached for help.
Patty Arceo is perhaps the best political person to evolve nationally.
Elito Arceo is the S.P. vice mayor and will be good to work with. Elito
and his wife and child were on the same flight to Houston as I was on
Monday. Elito's wife is from the US so I am guessing that he is with
her family. Currently San Pedro is doing well! Also American Transair currently will give space on flights to Cancun for cargo, then it can be ferried by either Tropic or Maya Air to San Pedro when required. Denny Shane Journey's End [email protected] She is at Banyan Bay and I have emailed her- Also, a group of doctors is being organized by Janet Armstrong at 770-717-5368, [email protected]
Dr. Carl Rupke at 281-277-7015 is ready to roll also, hopefully everyone can work together to eliminate redundancies.
Notification of Relief Plans:Dear Fellow Belizeans, we have been requested by our local Honduran Consulate, to assit with our Medical Relief efforts. Due to the decreased threat of Mitch to Belize, have are redirecting our assistance to your neighbor Honduras. Any donations which were received and intended for Belize will be forwarded as such. We will continue to monitor the situation in Belize and collect donations items of donation for both. Godspeed Belize!! Brigades of Love.
You will need the Adobe PDF reader to decode the actual guidelines. You can download it free just about everywhere if you don't have it already, including from this site.
Here's a link to the "Relief Web" (a whole bunch of relief organizations,
both UN and non-governmental).
Here's the USAID Office of Foreign Disaster Relief bulletin (dated 10/28/98) which describes what they are now doing. It says that there's a team, some equipment and 2 Blackhawk helicopters on the way to Belize to assist in overflights and evacuations.
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