Governor Jindal Offers LA Resources to Assist Haiti Response Efforts

Press Release

Today, Governor Bobby Jindal announced that the State of Louisiana is in constant contact with federal officials to offer any needed assistance to Haiti in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake there.

Immediately following the news of the earthquake, the Governor directed the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) to contact FEMA to offer Louisiana resources to assist in the emergency response and search and rescue missions underway in Haiti. In fact, Louisiana was one of the very first states entered into the national database of U.S. resources to assist in the Haiti disaster response. Many state resources have been identified and GOSHEP remains in constant communication with the U.S. State Department, which is coordinating relief sent from the U.S., to activate any assistance requested from Louisiana.

Governor Jindal said, "I have asked GOSHEP and our Louisiana National Guard to stand ready to assist the Haiti response and recovery efforts in any way we can. Louisiana knows first hand how deep and widespread the impact of a catastrophic disaster like this earthquake has on cities, communities and families. Just as we have been the recipients of help and support from cities and countries all around the country and across the world in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, we stand ready to assist Haiti now in their time of need.

"I spoke with Senator Mary Landrieu earlier this morning, and I look forward to working with her to help coordinate federal and state response efforts to ensure we match any resources we have with their needs on the ground in Haiti. We know from our own experience after hurricanes that Haiti will need many resources over a long period of time to recover and rebuild, but right now, critical resources will be the necessities of food and water and emergency response personnel. GOSHEP has already offered FEMA thousands of MREs and bottles of water.

"In addition to our resources, our thoughts and prayers go out to all those in Haiti, in our state and around the world who have been affected by this tragedy of an historic magnitude."

Through GOSHEP, Louisiana has offered the U.S. State Department and FEMA resources to assist in the Haitian disaster response efforts, including more than 65,000 MREs and thousands of bottles of water being donated by Lipsey Mountain Springs Water.

Businesses that want to donate equipment and large-scale commodities to the Haiti response efforts can donate through:

* Department of State Global Partnership Initiative: http://www.state.gov/s/partnerships/
* USAID: http://www.usaid.gov/

Cash donations from individuals or the private sector can be made through the following websites:

* InterAction: http://www.interaction.org/crisis-list/earthquake-haiti
* AidMatrix: http://www.aidmatrix.org/haiti.htm
* ALAN: http://www.aidmatrix.org/alan/about.html
* CIDI: http://www.cidi.org/

Donations can also be made to the American Red Cross (https://american.redcross.org) or Salvation Army (http://www.salvationarmy.org/ihq/www_sa.nsf).

The State Department Operations Center has set up the following phone number for Americans seeking information about family members in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747 (due to heavy volume, some callers may receive a recording).

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