August 26, 2021 - San Diego-based International Relief Teams (IRT) is rushing 2,500 solar lanterns to victims of the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Haiti that devastated part of the country’s southern peninsula on Saturday, August 14.
The earthquake has killed at least 2,200 people, injured more than 12,200 people, and destroyed nearly 53,000 homes.
IRT is sending rechargeable solar lanterns to families who are now living in total darkness at night, either in open fields or in damaged homes. These lanterns will provide families with some semblance of security, and serve as a safer and longer-lasting alternative to hazardous candles or toxic kerosene.
This is the third shipment of relief supplies IRT has sent to Haiti following the earthquake. The first two shipments consisted of more than 4,400 emergency tarps for homeless families in need of temporary shelter.
“The people of Haiti need help from organizations like IRT now more than ever. Haiti is an unstable, impoverished country and the government does not have the resources to provide much help in a time of tragedy like this,” said Barry La Forgia, International Relief Teams’ Executive Director.
Donations to support International Relief Teams’ earthquake response in Haiti can be made online here: https://www.irteams.org/donate/haiti-earthquake-2021
International Relief Teams has been responding to disasters in Haiti since 2008. Following the 7.0 earthquake in 2010 that killed an estimated 200,000 people, IRT volunteer medical teams treated hundreds of patients, supplied $1.3 million in medicines and medical supplies, provided more than 100,000 meals to victims, and other emergency activities for the following three years to help the country rebuild and recover.
International Relief Teams alleviates the suffering caused by poverty and disaster around the globe, from the forgotten corners of the world to right here at home, by sending volunteer teams and medical supplies to make immediate change for the world’s most vulnerable people. For more informationvisit: http://www.irteams.org. Also, see us on Facebook.
