The Energy Chamber, bpTT and corporate donors last week initiated and co-ordinated a mammoth response to the devastating situation in Haiti and accumulated close to $6 million in relief items, aid and other donations. After one week of identifying resources, sourcing aid items, donors and packing, the Energy Chamber and bpTT received hundreds of boxes, cases and pallets of donated items, which comprised canned and dry foodstuff, medical supplies, water, bedding and blankets, water, building items and clothing. These items were dropped off by donor companies to the ASCO Trinidad Ltd’s facility at the Labidco Estate in La Brea, where they were then packed into eight donated shipping containers for Haiti.
The project, co-ordinated through the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) Caricom support team, will first go to the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) office in Jamaica, en route to Haiti. “The entire region has responded tremendously to the unfortunate events in Haiti following the 7.1 magnitude earthquake. “Jamaica, as the sub-regional focal point for the northern Caribbean, wishes to thank the government, the private sector and the people of T&T for their outpouring of love and support for the people of the greater Port au Prince, Haiti.
Every effort will be made to expedite the delivery and distribution of the items contributed,” said Ronald Jackson of the ODPM in Jamaica. Mushtaq Mohammed, vice-president, corporate operations, bpTT, speaking on the effort from the members of the Energy Chamber, said, “bpTT was pleased to be involved in a co-operative effort to provide support to Haiti.” “It was great that the effort crossed both government and private enterprises. The combined efforts of bpTT, the Energy Chamber and its members and the ODPM, proved effective in mounting a campaign aimed at delivering a significant relief package to Haiti,” he said.