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California Task Force 5 (CATF5) has been activated and will mobilize for response to Haiti. The activation will take place immediately.
CATF5 includes firefighters and personnel from Orange County Fire Departments and other professionals from throughout Southern California. CATF5 has responded to Hurricanes Katrina and Gustov.
Members of CATF5 are highly trained individuals that are ready to respond to those in need in Haiti. The activation will take place tonight at Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) Headquarters located at 1 Fire Authority Rd. Irvine, Ca. 92602.
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The City of Lancaster activated donation links on the City’s website (www.cityoflancasterca.org) to aid the estimated three million victims affected by yesterday’s devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti. As of this afternoon, it is estimated that half a million people have died as a result of the quake.
“We offer our deepest condolences to those who have lost loved ones in this tragedy,” said Mayor R. Rex Parris. “It is our hope that these donations from local residents and City staff will quickly provide much-needed food, water, shelter and other essentials to those who have survived this disaster.”
Donations are going directly to The Salvation Army’s Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts. The worldwide organization has had a presence in Haiti for sixty years, and already has an extensive support network in place distributing much-needed emergency supplies and services.
“Words cannot begin to describe the devastation which has taken place here in Port au Prince, Haiti. The devastation is everywhere and suffering humanity is front and center,” said Bob Poff, Divisional Director of Disaster Services for The Salvation Army in Port au Prince.
Those wishing to donate can visit the City’s homepage at www.cityoflancasterca.org. Another link is located under the “I Want To” section of the website.
“The Salvation Army is deeply grateful to the City of Lancaster for taking the initiative in raising much-needed funds to be used to relieve the earthquake-stricken country of Haiti,” said Salvation Army spokesman Robert Brennan. “The Salvation Army has always relied on individuals and organizations to step up and make a difference. The City of Lancaster has certainly done this. The money raised in Lancaster is going to change the lives of people half a world away in Haiti who so desperately need help.”
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Hundreds of Southland doctors and nurses were preparing today to travel to Haiti to aid relief efforts. More than 400 nurses in Southern California have volunteered to travel there in response to an appeal from National Nurses United, a 150,000-member nurses union. – Los Angeles Times
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