Maltese solidarity with Haiti quake victims

The humanitarian aid section of the Civil Protection Department was a hive of activity yesterday as members of the public and businesses continued to make donations in aid of victims of the Haiti earthquake and torrential downpours in Albania.

Eight container loads of water, tinned food, blankets and clothing were collected over the past two days. Hundreds of individuals and families contributed to the collection, with a car showing up every two minutes between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday.

The CPD's humanitarian aid section, located at Fisherman's Wharf, Marsa, was inundated yesterday afternoon. According to deputy director Patrick Murgo, there was a "huge traffic jam" right onto the street as benefactors queued up to drop off their items. This was in addition to donations by businesses and retailers.

Among the donations, a businessman had generously given the CPD all his new surplus stock items and other businesses donated fruit juices and sanitary items.

Mr Murgo added: "We're waiting for instructions for the collection's port of call from the European Monitoring Centre. We hope to have an indication today in view of shipping out the collection by the end of the week."

Dozens of CPD volunteers, along with volunteers from St John Ambulance, were helping to go through the donations, the former responsible for food and water and the latter for clothing.

St John Ambulance commissioner Gemma Sirol said it was quite common for the organisation to work in conjunction with the CPD when the need arose and that case was no exception.

Mr Murgo said that basic necessities were more important than medicines, although medicines for people with specific conditions, such as diabetes, were useful. In fact, the CPD had received multiple medicinal donations, which were pending checks by the Health Department.

Mario Camilleri, a wholesaler from Qormi, said: "I felt I had to do something when I saw the suffering. If something similar happened to Malta, I'm sure we'd want someone to help us too."

Another man, Dione Buhagiar from Birkirkara, came to the collection with his wife and young son. "We brought my son's old clothes as well as tinned food," he said.

On January 12, the Caribbean island nation of Haiti was hit by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake, with its epicentre 25 kilometres offshore west of the capital city Port-au-Prince, which was devastated.

How you can help

Civil Protection Department: BOV 400 1875 8443 or HSBC 0780 0239 1050.

Caritas Malta: Cheque payable to Caritas Haiti Fund to Caritas Malta, 5, Lion Street, Floriana FRN 1514, or transfer funds electronically to one of the following bank accounts: APS 200 0088 7495, BOV 400 1876 1294 or HSBC 0890 2151 3051.

Salesians: Cheque payable to Fr Eric Cachia, Salesian Oratory, 20, Karm Galea Street, Sliema, or transfer funds electronically to the Salesians' Emergency Haiti account at HSBC 0851 1199 5050.