An earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010 has devastated the lives of millions of inhabitants of Haiti. The country’s most severe earthquake in over 200 years has claimed upto 200,000 Haitian lives. Three quarters of the capital Port-au-Prince has collapsed to the ground, the Presidential palace, Parliament and many other importation structures were destroyed, along with countless homes and businesses. 

By most economic measures, Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas. It had a a GDP per capita of $790 USD in 2009, about $2 per person per day. It is an impoverished country, one of the world’s poorest and least developed. Comparative social and economic indicators show Haiti had fallen behind other low-income developing countries and it does not have the resilience to come out of this natural calamity without significant international help. People who didn;t lose their lives by the earthquake are now dying of thirst and hunger. Food and clean water is scarce and humanitarian help is not reaching the Haitian people fast enough.

Inspite of  international organizations such as the UNICEF, American Red Cross, Operation USA, and International Corps are working tirelessly around-the-clock to provide humanitarian help and earthquake relief services to the Haitian people, 2-3 million people are still in dire need. Businesses both large and small across the globe can play a role in the immediate and urgent relief required to prevent an absolute catastrophic situation in Haiti.

Credit card processing companies can waive off processing fees for credit card donations made towards Haiti charities. Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover have offered rebates and have waived credit card processing fees for donations made out to select major US charities.

Medical equipment suppliers can donate medicines, supplies and equipment to health organizations that have stepped in to help the catastrophe in Haiti. The need for medical supplies will rise as uncollected bodies putrefy and basic amenities are not made available. Urgent medical services will be required to fight the spread of malaria, typhoid, dengue and diarrheal disease – the usual aftermath of disasters of this scale.

Architectural services, construction companies and engineering services can offer their assistance in the construction and rebuilding  effort of the Haitian capital. Construction vehicles such as excavators and bulldozers can help by clearing debris quickly, and unblocking roads. Construction equipment can be made available to the Haiti state for faster construction of homes and basic facilities for the homeless.

Food and beverage companies can donate food supplies. Truck trailers can be sent out to help relief teams as there is an acute shortage of trucks. Every small or large business can help whether its by contributing their  products or services, or by allocating a percentage of their profits or sales revenues towards the Haiti relief efforts requiredd for this poor nation to recover from the colossal damage and loss of lives caused by the recent 7.0 earthquake in Haiti.

Tags: Builders, Bulldozers, Construction, Credit Card Processing, Engineering Services, Excavators, medical equipment, small business

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