January 13, 2010

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti/GENEVA – The director of the Department for World Service (DWS) at the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Rev. Eberhard Hitzler, has called for an immediate, substantial emergency response following the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

The 7.0 magnitude quake which struck on Tuesday 12 January at 16:53 local time (22:53 CET), lasting over one minute, is the most powerful in 200 years in the Caribbean state, according to media reports. The quake's epicenter was only 15 kilometers southwest of the capital Port-au-Prince. DWS personnel report that large numbers of buildings in capital were toppled and many people are feared dead. Numerous aftershocks followed the earthquake.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with our staff and the people of Haiti," said Hitzler. "At the moment, we first have to reestablish contact with our staff in Haiti." The DWS director said, telephone lines were destroyed in the quake and all communication channels broke down during the night, and reestablishing contact took several hours.

According to information provided by Ms Sylvia Raulo, director of DWS country programs for Haiti and the Caribbean since September 2007, no program staff has been injured and they are currently organizing emergency relief assistance.

Hitzler emphasized that the disaster's direct impact on United Nations buildings and a large number of UN personnel hampers the coordination of emergency relief efforts. It also constitutes a supplementary risk for the population's security, since one of the tasks of the UN in Haiti is to help rebuild government institutions including law enforcement. Thus it was extremely important that the UN become operational again as soon as possible.

Hitzler said LWF/DWS was preparing together with ACT Alliance, the largest worldwide network of church and church-related relief and development organizations, a "substantial" emergency response. "We are thankful for all the compassionate support we have already received from partners in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, the USA and Sweden," he said. He expressed DWS' commitment to assist the millions of people affected by the earthquake and help them to restore the perspective of a sustainable livelihood.

Hitzler said he feared that the next morning Haiti would be confronted with a major catastrophe. The country, he noted, was already one of the poorest in the world, and had experienced over the past decades poor governance and frequent natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods. According to UN data, around 70 percent of Haiti's population of around nine million people lives in extreme poverty.

You can help the LWF Department for World Service's relief effort by making a donation online at: http://donations.lutheranworld.org/.

Further information about the LWF/DWS Caribbean/Haiti program is available at: http://www.lutheranworld.org/What_We_Do/DWS/Country_Programs/DWS-Caribbean-Haiti.html.

Lutheran World Information