A Letter from Mayor Nicholas Mavodones to the City of Portland Regarding the Earthquake in Haiti

Dear friends,

We would like to share this letter that Portland Mayor Nicholas Mavadones sent out yesterday to the people of Portland. We would like to express our deep appreciation to the mayor for his kind words of support for Konbit Sante and for the people of Cap-Haitien.

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From Mayor Nicholas Mavodones:

January 14, 2010

As you are aware, a devastating earthquake struck Haiti on Tuesday killing possibly hundreds of thousands and leaving tens of thousands injured, homeless or in search of loved ones. As with any tragedy like this, our hearts go out to the men, women and children lost or in pain.

Beyond that, the City of Portland is uniquely tied to Haiti through its sister city relationship with Cap-Haitien, a community in northern Haiti. This relationship came about in part from the work of Portland nonprofit, Konbit Sante Cap-Haitien Health Partnership, which supports health and medical programs as well as other public health projects in the northern part of the country.

As soon as I learned of the earthquake and shocking toll of life, I spoke with key personnel to see what if anything Portland could do to help and to learn of any news about our sister city, Cap-Haitien. While the Cap-Haitien did not suffer major physical damager from the earthquake, the entire country is being affected by this disaster. With relief efforts underway, Portland emergency personnel are monitoring the situation and awaiting any formal request for assistance that we can fulfill. Nate Nickerson, Konbit Sante's executive director has learned that United Nation helicopters are now airlifting critical patients to the Justinian Hospital in Cap-Haitien, the nation's second largest hospital. Nate will be traveling to Haiti on Saturday for a first-hand assessment of what will be needed to respond to these urgent needs. For those interested, updates on conditions in Haiti are being updated on Konbit Sante's Facebook page.

Konbit Sante announced today that it has established an Earthquake Response Fund and they have contributed $25,000 from their reserves as an initial donation to the fund. To contribute to this fund, please visit www.healthyhaiti.org and note that your contribution is for the Earthquake Response Fund. According to Nate, "The needs are going to be long-term and are going to affect the whole country. We're just beginning to grasp the scope of this disaster." These funds will be used to address long-term and short-term health needs related to the earthquake.

I share this information with the residents of Portland, as you, like me, may be asking what steps to take to help with humanitarian efforts. A collection effort is underway at the City Manager's office in City Hall where charitable donations can be made to Konbit Sante's Earthquake Response Fund.

People can also make donations online to the American Red Cross, International Response Fund at www.redcross.org or Doctors Without Borders at www.doctorswithoutborders.org.

Also all proceeds from Sunday's 2010 Martin Luther King Jr. Observance Concert at Merrill Auditorium will be donated to relief efforts. For those interested, tickets can be purchased at the box office at Merrill Auditorium or online.

As you already know, Portland is deeply compassionate, caring community and if we can help alleviate the pain for our brothers and sisters in Cap-Haitien, we will. Our city motto, Resurgam, means I will rise again and I know that today, Portland, will rise to the occasion.