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Springfield-based relief organization Convoy of Hope is setting up an emergency command center in Port-au-Prince, Haiti following Tuesday’s earthquake. There are expected to be large numbers of casualties though there are no official numbers yet. There’s widespread destruction of buildings and infrastructure in the capitol city. KSMU’s Missy Shelton reports.
Convoy of Hope is in the process of doing what it can to provide relief to Haiti following the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that shook the capital city. Jeff Nene is the spokesperson for Convoy of Hope.
Nene says, “We’re in the planning stages of mounting a full-scale response. We have a team that’s probably going to leave tomorrow. We’re also already preparing loads to be sent from here. We’ve had some corporate partners, food manufacturers, water providers that have already been in contact with us.”
Nene says a Convoy of Hope staffer was in Haiti when the earthquake hit.
Nene says, “Coincidentally, our country director for Haiti was in country when it happened and actually went through the earthquake. Fortunately, he was 45 kilometers north of Port-au-Prince, where our base is.”
By some estimates, Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Nene says Convoy regularly provides aid to Haitians. He says because Convoy of Hope has this ongoing humanitarian effort in Haiti, it’s able to provide some immediate relief to those impacted by the earthquake.
Nene says, “We feed about 7000 children in Haiti every day so we normally keep a good stock of food and supplies on hand. So, we’re taking that food that is there now and using that as disaster response supplies.”
Nene says Convoy of Hope will be working in the coming days to get supplies and food to Haiti as quickly as possible.