Update on our container shipment

We last posted on March 1st that our container containing food, medicines and medical supplies had made it to the port in the Dominican Republic.  We thought we'd wait until we had news of it clearing customs and being loaded onto a truck for delivery into Jimani before posting again.  Well....you've just gotten a sense of how time often works in Haiti!

Here is where we are (greatly condensed to save you from having to read about the endless hours of discussion, walking from office-to-office and paperwork that's taken place over the weeks):

1. We were cleared for duty free import into the Dominican Republic!
2. Harvest Field procured a warehouse in Port au Prince, so we requested that the trucking company  change the destination.  It cost a bit but makes unloading and distribution soooo much easier.
3. Our truck was released and headed to the border earlier this week.  Once there we learned that the border has really tightened up and any containers carrying medicines (ours does) are being strictly regulated.  After many, many, many hours of discussion and paper shuffling the truck was headed to Haitian customs in Port au Prince.
4. Our bright yellow truck with Antillean down the side stood out at the border.  You could see it from miles away.  Once it was in the Port au Prince customs center it was one of thousands of containers, hard to pick it out in the crowd.  We learned that the trucking company put the wrong name down for the receiver.  This makes it really hard to pick up your trailer when the documents say it belong to someone else!  We got them to change this once we figured out what had happened.
5. We start to work again on Monday trying to get the container cleared from customs.  We've got plenty of time to figure out how to make this go smoother next time!

More as we have it....

WAAY 31: Haiti Earth Quake Coverage

http://www.waaytv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11817040

Haiti Relief Efforts - Local Outreach
Posted: Jan 13, 2010 03:02 PM
There are several ways you can help support relief efforts in Haiti.

Trinity United Methodist Church and Hudson Alpha Institute in Huntsville are launching a first responder drive. They are asking for both food and money that will all be donated to relief efforts. All non-perishable food items and medical supplies will be accepted.

To donate, stop by either Trinity United Methodist Church on Airport Road, or Hudson Alpha Institute on Moquin Drive.

Drop off your monetary donations at Trinity. A first responder team is leaving for Haiti Thursday morning at 6AM.

www.haitifooddrive.blogspot.com

Also, an Oakwood Alum and Haitian native is organizing efforts to help his home country.

Huntsville resident Simeon Nerelus is the founder of HERO - Haitian Emergency Relief Organization and www.haiti411.org. The organization is setting up drop-off sites all across the city, for people to donate food and supplies.

He and his team will be flying to Haiti next week. We'll have much more on his reaction, and the HERO organization, tonight on WAAY 31 News at 10.

Drop off your FOOD donation to HudsonAlpha
6900 Moquin Drive, Huntsville, AL, 35806
Make CHECKS PAYABLE TO TRINITY United Methodist Church
Times: 10am - 4pm Daily
Questions: email us at haitifooddrive@gmail.com
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WAFF 48: Haiti Earth Quake Coverage

FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://www.waff.com/Global/story.asp?S=11815740

Local organization rallies to bring relief efforts to Haiti
Posted: Jan 13, 2010 12:02 PM
By Monica Rix

HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) - Relief efforts have begun in Haiti, after the island was leveled by a massive earthquake on January 12th.

Even here in Northern Alabama, folks are rallying to find a way to help, and plan on bringing as much aid to the island as possible.

"It is not over. But even in the midst of it all, I thank God because it could have been worse," said Simeon Nerelus, who was shocked when he heard about the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that rocked his home island of Haiti.

"It's very scary and I can't imagine the hopelessness of the people. The victims, they must be frightened right now," he added.

Nerelus is taking action.

He founded the Haiti Emergency Relief Organization, or HERO, that helps underprivileged people, mostly children, with medical care on the island.

The group was just in Haiti last December and were supposed to go back next week.

"The main purpose of this organization is to run these orphanages and take care of dozens of kids. We got word early this morning that two of the orphanages had completely collapsed. Most of them got out, but there are a few that remain missing and did not get out," said Troy Moore, who works with HERO.

And the danger on the island isn't over.

"I think the aftershocks are probably the biggest threat. The way things are built there, there's no building codes, the buildings are stacked on top of each other, so when one falls it's like a domino effect," said Moore.

The group will still make the trip, but Moore says they're now shifting their focus.

"Part of their effort next week is to see how we can get in there and what kind of supplies we can get in over there," he said.

"It's time to come together as one to help our brothers, our neighbors, in Haiti right now because we can not even start to imagine the horror that people are going through," said Nerelus.

HERO organizers will be leaving for Haiti next week, but want your help in providing aid to those who need it on the island.

Food, clothes, even financial contributions are welcome.

Donations can be dropped off at Trinity United Methodist Church, off of Airport Road, and at Hudson Alpha Institute, off of Moquin Drive, in Huntsville.

For more information on HERO, click here or call (256)665-6151.

You can also track HERO's relief efforts on the island by clicking here.

©2010 WAFF. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Drop off your FOOD donation to HudsonAlpha
6900 Moquin Drive, Huntsville, AL, 35806
Make CHECKS PAYABLE TO TRINITY United Methodist Church
Times: 10am - 4pm Daily
Questions: email us at haitifooddrive@gmail.com
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Tragedy: The Earthquake in Haiti and OUR Response: HudsonAlpha

Dear Friends:

We are facing an immediate, devastating tragedy of unknown proportions in Haiti.

Here are the quick facts from bloomberg:

"Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, was struck by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake near the capital that destroyed buildings and left thousands of people dead or missing. The temblor was centered 10 miles (16 kilometers) southwest of Port-au-Prince, a city of about 2 million inhabitants, at 4:53 p.m. local time yesterday, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site. An official casualty count has yet to be announced and phone lines are out across the capital. Port-au-Prince is in “total chaos,” with clouds of dust from collapsed buildings covering the city and fears that thousands may be dead, Robyn Fieser, a spokeswoman with the Catholic Relief Services in Baltimore, said after receiving reports from representatives in the country. At least 13 aftershocks with a magnitude above 4.5 have struck the area, according to the USGS."

So friends, where does that leave us? At the moment we are in the dark on this situation. Cell towers are down, the country is in complete chaos.

More soon.

Drop off your donation to HudsonAlpha
6900 Moquin Drive, Huntsville, AL, 35806
Times: 10am - 4pm Daily
Questions: email us at haitifooddrive@gmail.com
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