I wouldn't get your hopes up - at least not for weeks. You would only be in the way. Right now they are having problems getting all of the supplies in (over-crowded airport issues and damaged docks so ships can't unload). The priority is medical personnel, rescue personnel, military engineers (clearing roads and rubble), and experienced natural disaster groups only. Anyone else is in the way and there are not enough supplies to support personnel there, let alone new ones arriving. Most folks there who are not required are being evacuated with the medical evacuations. In a few weeks it will get to the point of rebuilding and then they will need help. I have a couple of friends there now and one enroute. This is what they do for a living.


>It already looks very unlikely as far as going there. With the airport a mess, it is a logistics nightmare just getting people there in the first place. My volunteer group has nothing planned, and the ones I found online seem to be looking only for people with very specific skills such as medical personnel and engineers. They are also worried about disease, epidemics, etc.
>
>>Well, will you look at this, Amadinejad! The evil United States is helping people . . . . again. :))
>>
>>>I just sent an email to a lady at the volunteer group I went to Houston with after Katrina, asking if they are putting anything together for Haiti. The timing is actually not so hot for me, then I realized how bad the timing is for Haitians ;-( I already sent money, not much but hopefully this is a case of many small donations adding up.
>>>
>>>>And that is just for one day and for mobile text donations only and from inside the U.S. only. No telling how much from other donations and other countries. Sometimes the world comes through.
>>>>
>>>>Yesterday the U.S Special Forces setup air traffic control at the Haiti airport. For a while they had guys with radios spreadout on the runway using radios to communicate with the pilots. Now I think they have an actual system setup. Before then, incoming pilots had to communicate with each other to land and take off.
>>>>
>>>>Iceland, Canada, China, U.S., France, and just about every country you can imagine has already been flying in with rescue units, fuel, medical aid, relief aid, etc. Truly the response is global and amazing. Let's just hope it came fast enough. It is known that in times of natural disasters like this the majority who die do so within the 1st 36 hours because they are trapped, injured, etc.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>For all the crap in the world, people really do come through when help is needed.
>>>>>
>>>>>>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34850532/ns/technology_and_science-wireless/
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Coooooooool.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>The cell phone may be one of the big heroes in a campaign to donate money for relief efforts in earthquake-ravaged Haiti. In the United States, more than $1 million was raised Wednesday via text-messages sent to organizations like the American Red Cross and Yele Haiti foundation.
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>>>>>>"Customers of Verizon Wireless and our competitors in the United States will have donated more than $1 million today to the Red Cross relief effort for Haiti — directly from their mobile phones," said Jeffrey Nelson, Verizon Wireless spokesman, who called it "the biggest day in the history of mobile giving in the U.S."
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>>>>>>Nelson said that as of late Wednesday afternoon, customers of Verizon Wireless, the nation's largest wireless carrier "alone have contributed more than $300,000." AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile are also backing the text-messaging donation campaign.
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>>>>>>The mobile giving effort is organized by the mGive Foundation, which is coordinating with wireless carriers. In the Red Cross' case, phone users can text the word "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10," and when prompted, hit "YES" to confirm the donation.
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>>>>>>The donation is added to the cell user's bill, and receipts are available online at mGive's Web site.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Standard text-messaging rates "may apply" in AT&T's case, the company said yesterday.
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>>>>>>Verizon Wireless said customers donating to the Red Cross will not be charged "for those texts... It's a way we support non-profits who are tipping their toes into the mobile giving water," said Nelson.
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>>>>>>Amanda Ginther, T-Mobile spokeswoman, said the text messages "will not draw down on a messaging plan, and customers without a messaging plan, will not be charged for the text."
>>>>>>
>>>>>>The mGive Foundation's campaign, mentioned on the White House's blog has also lent a boost to the activity.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Another key organization that has been getting endorsements for the text-message donations is the Yele Haiti foundation, started by Wyclef Jean, a member of the now-defunct Fugees musical group.
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>>>>>>Jean has been urging people to help by donating $5 to the Yele charity, and send a phone text-message to 501501 to contribute. The foundation's Web site had heavy traffic all day Wednesday, with many users unable to access it.
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>>>>>>T-Mobile is also supporting free text messages for donations to the Yele foundation, calling Jean one of the company's "myTouch (Android phone) partners ... again 100 percent of the donations are passed directly to the nonprofit," said Ginther.
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>>>>>>Even Twitter co-founder Biz Stone suggested the mobile donation route to the Red Cross and to Yele on Twitter's blog, saying it is among "a few simple but effective ways to help (that) have emerged."
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