St. Lucia Hurricane Tomas Relief

Local disaster and emergency units as well as global organizations have mobilized assistance to help victims of Hurricane Tomas in St. Lucia. The UN, UNICEF, the French Navy, and British military have extended humanitarian assistance to the wind and flood ravaged island nation. According to The St. Lucia Red Cross Society ten tons of immediate relief needs such as food and water have been delivered by airlift into communities inaccessible by road due to landslides. Damage and needs assessments through coordinated disaster response teams NEMO (National Emergency Organization), DANA (Damage and Needs Assessment, Red Cross) and RNET (Rapid Needs Assessment Team of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency) are in progress.

St. Lucia needs our help now. Donations can be remitted to the St. Lucia Red Cross Society through the following banks.

First Caribbean International Bank, Bridge St., Castries, St. Lucia, WI
A/C # 2645392
Swift Code: FCIBLCLC


Royal Bank of Canada
Acc #100 842 4.

Persons outside of St Lucia can remit funds through:

United States (USD)
Wachovia Bank, New York,NY
SWIFT: PNBPUS3NNYC

ABA: 026005092

Bank of America, New York, NY, 10048-1191

Swift Code: BOFAUS3N
Chips member ID: 015035
ABA Number 026009593

United Kingdom (GBP)

BARCLAYS BANK,

SWIFT: BARCGB22

Europe (EURO)
KBC BANK,
SWIFT: KREDBEBB
Beneficiary Bank: FirstCaribbean Int’lBank
Swift: FCIBLCLC

Thank you for your contribution.

St. Lucia Hurricane Relief

As we took to donning masks, costumes, and the sweet indulgences of candy and ghoulish revelry this past weekend, Hurricane Tomas wreaked a horrific display of destructive force on the windward Caribbean islands. Barbados, St. Vincent and St. Lucia sustained heavy flooding and wind damage. Reported deaths from St. Lucia are now at 14, mainly in Soufriere, where the damage is reported to look like a war-zone. Prime Minister Stephenson King estimates damage from massive landslides, sinkholes, and widespread flooding at roughly US$37 million.

Some Facebook friends were able to stay in touch via iPhone and Blackberry internet service, while others, as myself, have been unable to reach family and friends in some parts of the island. Ti Kaye resort owner, Nick Pinnock, posted the earliest views of the damage, "this wasn't the most vicious hurricane but it caught the whole country unaware, it lasted a very long time and it dropped a lot of water."



Massive sinkhole on Choc Bridge swallows an SUV Saturday night.(NPinnock)



Choc Bridge damage and SUV Sunday morning. (NPinnock)



Cul de Sac valley flooded...impassable. (NPinnock)



'Super Rush' recovery mission (NPinnock)

House perched on precipice caused by landslide. (SCepal)

St. Lucia Needs Your Help Now

Donate to help for Tomas victims:

St. Lucia Red Cross,

First Caribbean International Bank,

Bridge St. Castries,

A/C # 2645392

swift code FCIBLCLC -

Swift codes for Intermediary Banks for funds coming in the following currencies:

USD Wachovia Bank N.Y, SWIFT: PNBPUS3NNYC, ABA: 026005092

GBP BARCLAYS BANK, SWIFT: BARCGB22

EURO KBC BAN, SWIFT: KREDBEBB

Beneficiary Bank: FirstCaribbean Int’l

Bank Swift: FCIBLCLC

More information on how help will be posted in subsequent updates.

People That Matter: Haiti

This post was originally intended to make a sort of introduction in keeping with the "personal contact" theme of the intial post People That Matter(1/3/2010).  However, the catastrophe in Haiti overrides making acquaintance and demands our immediate involvement.  Crises can as well present 'en vivo' opportunities for bonding.

Although I believe in the wisdom of giving anonymously, the convenience and effectiveness of technology in fundraising efforts by the Red Cross and Wyclef Jean's Yele Haiti was impressive enough to mention. You too can text donations for Haiti relief from your cell phone. In addition to your donation amount, standard text messaging fees may apply.

Organizations accepting monetary donations by text messaging:*

Red Cross: Text HAITI to 90999 ($10 donation)
Clinton Foundation: Text HAITI to 20222 ($10 donation)
Yéle Haiti: Text YELE to 501501 ($5 donation)
United Way: Text HAITI to 864833 ($5 donation)
Intl Medical Corps: Text HAITI to 85944 ($10 donation)
World Food Program: Text: FRIENDS to 90999 ($5 donation)
UN Foundation: Text CERF to 90999 ($5 donation)
Compassion Intl: Text DISASTER to 85944 ($10 donation)
Intl Rescue Committee Text: HAITI to 25383 ($5 donation)
The Salvation Army: Text HAITI to 52000 ($10 donation)

From Canada:
Salvation Army in Canada: Text HAITI to 45678 ($5 donation)
Plan Canada: Text HAITI to 30333 ($5 donation)

From the United Kingdom:
Disasters Emergency Committee: Text GIVE to 70077 (£5 Pounds)

From France:
French Red Cross: Text HAITI to 80222 (1 Euro)

*This preceding list was provided by CNN online.

Follow this link to select from a list of organizations that are enabled to and are providing food, shelter, medical aid, and basic needs directly to quake victims in Haiti. Please refer to The Center for International Disaster Information for additional guidelines on appropriate donations. These established organizations are ways to take due care and avoid being victimized for your good intentions.~FBI Earthquake Fraud Alert

Give how you can, and if nothing else this simple blessing and intention to support does well:

May God supply all your need according to His riches in glory.~Phillipians 4:19

or

May all things needful be provided, and order and peace prevail.

I would love to hear your thoughts on how the quake and relief efforts have impacted you, your social network, and community.  Take care...