SALEM, N.H., Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ — Medical and travel assistance company, On Call International, has set up a national, emergency hotline for the family and friends of travelers visiting Haiti, who might have been affected by the 7.0-magnitude earthquake striking the area 15 kilometers (10 miles) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince.
Anyone attempting to connect with family members or friends traveling or living in the region should call the On Call International hotline: 800-576-5172. Or, they can call On Call International collect at 603-328-1924. Callers should have as much information as possible readily available at the time of call, including tour operator name, itineraries, hotel information or cell phone numbers.
On Call International is a leading provider of customized medical, security and travel assistance for international business and leisure travelers, as well as expatriates, students and others away from home. Operating 24/7/365, On Call International specializes in emergency evacuations from any point on the globe, assisting more than seven million travelers. The U.S.-owned and trained assistance company serves the travel, insurance and maritime industries. On Call is a member and the U.S. representative of the 26-partner International Assistance Group, a global network of independent assistance companies. For more information, visit www.oncallinternational.com.
SOURCE On Call International
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Source: Direct Relief International
Date: 12 Jan 2010
Direct Relief International is responding to a 7.0-magnitude earthquake and its aftershocks that struck Haiti today. The earthquake, centered off Port-au-Prince, destroyed a hospital in Petionville and damaged other buildings; the number of injured is expected to be high.
Emergency aid is being offered to all our partners in Haiti to support their response to the quake. Two shipping containers, a 40-foot and a 20-foot container of ongoing medical material aid, arrived in Port-au-Prince today destined for St. Damian’s Children’s Hospital.
Direct Relief’s partners in Haiti include Partners in Health, St. Damian’s Children’s Hospital, the Visitation Hospital, Christian Aid Ministries, and Feed the Children. St. Damian’s and Partners in Health are particularly active in emergency response and have received pre-positioned materials for hurricane season, which ended November 30, and are designed to support ongoing patient care if needed. Since 2000, Direct Relief has provided more than $60 million in medical material aid to Haiti.
Partners in Health began in 1985 as a small community clinic; today that clinic has grown to a 104-bed, full-service hospital and eight other clinic sites across Haiti’s Central Plateau. Food for the Poor, a Catholic relief agency founded in 1982, offers assistance to the poor throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Visitation Hospital serves between 80 and 90 patients a day at its facility outside Port-au-Prince, which houses a lab and pharmacy, seven exam rooms, two medical/dental procedure rooms, and a food bank.
As partners’ needs become clear, additional emergency aid will be delivered as soon as possible.
BY GFBC Productions Caribbean Correspondent
info@gfbcproductions.biz
January 12, 2010
Why is the economic status of Haiti the subject of every media network? Why doesn’t the press take the time it has before daylight to help concentrate on relief efforts?
I must commend Jacqueline Charles, the Caribbean Correspondent of the Miami Herald. When asked if such a poor Caribbean island is prepared for such an disaster by a CNN reporter? She replied, “I don’t any Caribbean Island is prepared for a earthquake of such “catastrophic proportions”
Every media outlet highlights Haiti’s past political problems as a subject for discussion, without concentrating on the situation at hand. Buzz words such as, “shanty towns”, “poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere”, and “dense population” and “poor infrastructure are being touted as introductions to the worst natural disaster to caribbean, with the exception of hurricanes.
A major earthquake struck southern Haiti on Tuesday, knocking down buildings and inflicting a catastrophe on the impoverished Caribbean nation, its ambassador to the United States said.
“The only thing I can do now is pray and hope for the best,” the ambassador, Raymond Joseph, told CNN.
The magnitude 7.0 quake struck about 10 miles (15 kilometers) southwest of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince shortly before 5 p.m. Joseph said he had little information about the extent of damage from the quake, but one government official — the only one he was able to reach — told him houses had crumbled “on the right side of the street and the left side of the street.”
“He said it is a catastrophe of major proportions,” Joseph said.
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A hospital collapsed from the quake, The Associated Press reported.
Frank Williams, the Haitian director of the relief agency World Vision International, said the quake left people “pretty much screaming” all around Port-au-Prince. He said the agency’s building shook for about 35 seconds, “and portions of things on the building fell off.”
“None of our staff were injured, but lots of walls are falling down,” Williams said. “Many of our staff have tried to leave, but were unsuccessful because the walls from buildings and private residences are falling into the streets, so that it has pretty much blocked significantly most of the traffic.”
The quake was centered about 6 miles (10 kilometers) underground, according to the USGS. A magnitude 5.9 aftershock followed soon afterward, about 30 miles further west, followed by a 5.5 aftershock closer to the location of the first quake.
“There is a kind of wail as people are very frightened by it,” Williams said of the aftershocks. “But most people are out in the streets and just kind of looking up.”
A tsunami watch was posted for Haiti and parts of Cuba, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas, but there was no indication that a tsunami had been generated. Historical data suggested a destructive, widespread tsunami was not a threat, the USGS reported.
The quake could be felt strongly in the eastern Cuban city of Santiago, about 250 miles west of Port-au-Prince.
“It was very strong. It lasted for almost a minute,” said Marlon Romaguera, who runs a bed-and-breakfast there.
Throughout 2009 I was following the story of a family who decided to BUY BLACK for the entire year. They called it the ‘Empowerment Experiment’ where the entire family would support African American owned businesses by purchasing products and services for every aspect of their lives.Now that we’ve made it to 2010, the Anderson family is reflecting back on their year of buying black and talking
Shareholders of Caribbean Cement Company Limited have voted on the company’s plan to convert US$$15 million debt into equity.
At an extraordinary general meeting held on January 5, shareholders considered and passed two resolutions relating to the retirement of US$15 million of debt between the company and its parent company, Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL).
A majority passed the resolution in consideration of the issue by the company of a new class of preference shares to TCL.
Caribbean Cement has also revealed that the preference shares will not be traded on the Jamaica Stock Exchange.
“Cautiously optimisticâ€, due to a steady growth in visitors to the Cayman Islands as the worldwide economy thaws is how the Department of Tourism’s (DoT) top official predicted the local industry will fare in 2010.
Shomari Scott, the Cayman Islands’ Acting Director of Tourism, was interviewed by the webzine, Breaking Tourist News (BTN) at the Caribbean Hotel Association’s (CHA) “Caribbean Marketplace†event in Puerto Rico that ended last week.
“The Cayman Islands ended the last two months of the year on a positive note, up by five percent from the same months in the previous year,†Mr Scott told BTN, “in part due to the work of the private sector in bringing added-value promotions to the marketplace.â€
Approximately 400 supplier companies and destinations showcased their products to close to 900 buyers from US, UK, Canada, Europe and Latin America at the CHA Caribbean Marketplace, with approximately 1,600 attendees from 35 countries.
Mr Scott said he attended the CHA event to meet and cement relationships with wholesale partners and airline travel arms, solidify co-op marketing, discuss results and projections and changes in consumer behaviour. Crediting the Cayman government for working closely with the tourism sector, the largest employer in the Islands, Mr Scott told BTN of a number of initiatives in the next few months that should appeal to tourists abroad, targeting especially those in the US, UK and Canada.
“The Cayman Islands ‘Get Warm Winter’ promotion and ‘That’s So Cold’ contest are key initiatives for this winter,†said Mr Scott. “For travel from today through
15 May 2010, visitors can take advantage of upgrades, savings and free nights from multiple accommodations, dive operators and attractions on-island; including a free trip to the world-famous Stingray City.â€
Along with the free admission to Stingray City, 10 hotels and resorts, including the Ritz-Carlton, the Marriott of Grand Cayman, and the Westin Casuarina, are offering visitors one free night’s accommodation for booking a five-night stay until 15 May.
A direct flight from Washington, D.C., to George Town will cost only $125 during the same time period, and the “That’s So Cold†contest is a photo contest picturing a person’s coldest moments this winter to win a four-day Cayman vacation. The annual Cayman Cookout being held at the Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman this year 14 – 18 January is a world-class event, which draws visitors and highlights Cayman’s epicurean diversity.
“Additionally, there are some exciting SCUBA diving initiatives underway,†said Mr Scott. “In addition to the more than 250 dive sites currently in Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac, the Cayman Islands has acquired a retired US naval ship, the USS Kittiwake, which is slated to be sunk in Cayman’s waters this spring to serve as an exciting new dive attraction.â€
To help protect its thriving marine life, this new dive site will provide a necessary relief for some of the most frequently visited dive sites, Mr Scott told BTN, pointing also to the “Dive 365†promotion that suggests a different dive site each day of the year.
In another environmental initiative to protect the reef’s fragile ecosystem, new dive sites have been identified, resulting in 65 new sites in Grand Cayman, six in Cayman Brac, and eight in Little Cayman, which will allow other certain sites to be “rested.â€
The sinking of the Kittiwake and these other initiatives “prove the Cayman Islands’ commitment to protecting its reefs from environmental overuse,†said Mr Scott, “ensuring that many further generations can experience and enjoy the magnificent marine life unique to this Caribbean destination.â€
The tourism director pointed also to a growing trend in vacations, the family vacation, a natural fit with the Cayman Islands, which can differentiate itself from other sun, sand and sea destinations due to its “personality†combined with its world-class beaches and underwater environment.
“Cayman is one of the most vibrant, contemporary, continually-evolving societies in the Caribbean, with a worldly, welcoming and successful personality that, when combined with our natural beauty, creates a story that no other vacation destination can match,†said Mr Scott. “It is this compelling, unique personality that positions the Cayman Islands well to capitalize on the burgeoning family market.â€
Research has shown that in the midst of the current economic environment there is added interest in spending time with families, and family travel is expected to show significant growth over the next decade, according to Mr Scott.
“A unique summer programme is currently in the works for launch very soon,†he added. “Additionally, the five shades of Cayman blue water are found nowhere else, the diving is incredible and the destination is working to lead the region in sustainable initiatives and eco-friendly projects.â€
1/12/2010
IN recent months there have been quite a number of reports about the progress of real estate projects on the island, official openings of completed projects, and announcements of the commencement of new projects.
The majority of these are seen to be upscale projects – for the example, the recently opened Condominiums at Palm Beach; Holetown’s Limegrove Lifestyle Centre, which is slated to be opened by the end of this year; and of course the controversial Four Seasons project, which appears to have been given a much needed boost.
These are only a few of the projects that have been highlighted, with others including Beachlands on the West Coast; the Lanterns Mall in Hastings, Christ Church; the continued development at the Apes Hill in St. Thomas; and Port Ferdinand in St. Peter, just to name a few.
Barbados has developed a reputation within the region as being one of the most developed infrastructural environments, which is a significant consideration when investors, many of which are from overseas, are looking to invest in such projects.
The island’s road network is highly regarded, while areas such as telecommunications, healthcare and education are viewed as second to none in the region, with the first of these three being seen as the most reliable in the Caribbean, while the latter two have been known to attract persons from around the region.
As stated earlier, these traits have been highly instrumental in attracting investors, however, the question could be asked as to whether or not these, and other areas, need a serious facelift in order to support to vast amount of development that is taking place because of this attraction to the island.
Improvements needed
It is true that Barbados’ road network is highly regarded, given the fact that getting from point “A†to point “B†is seen to be something that can be done relatively simply because of the significant road access. However, the quality of this access has been constantly called into question, particularly as it relates to the roads’ upkeep, as well as their size, given the fact that the type of cars that are now occupying them are becoming much larger, and much more elegant than previously seen, and are also the vehicles of choice of the persons making these large real estate investments.
As it relates to telecommunications, while Barbados’ network is seen as the most reliable in the region, there is no denying that there is still much to be done by way of improving the level of capacity, as well as reducing the cost.
The same capacity argument can be made with regards to healthcare and education, as the facilities developed on the island to provide these services find it quite difficult to meet the needs of the local population, therefore making it even more of a challenge to cater to the needs of those coming from abroad.
These are only a few of the areas that need to be reviewed, particularly if Barbados is to continue to ride this wave of development that is being viewed as necessary for our continued relevance as a host for international investors and developers.
As long as we want to continue attracting persons and investment to this island, as well as maintain their interest once they are established here, there must be continued development in order to remain competitive when compared to other countries.
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The Future of Caricom
THE prognosis for significant advancement in key sectors of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) during the upcoming decade does not appear at all encouraging.
Indeed, with a trend towards a narrow nationalism, masked in a few cases as new approaches in trade, immigration and economic policies, there lurks the danger of undermining the growth of a once-robust regional spirit to make a reality of the much talked about Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME).
At present, while the Caricom Secretariat is preparing for the first inter-sessional meeting of Heads of Government for this year, scheduled for Dominica next month or early March, there are serious misgivings about the way forward for the single economy component of the flagship project -CSME.
The inter-sessional meeting in Roseau, which is to precede the regular annual Caricom summit, being planned for July in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is expected to receive a report from Barbados’ Prime Minister David Thompson, on the CSME convocation he hosted last October.
It was an occasion when representatives of both the region’s private sector and labour movement did not spare criticisms of what they view as yawning gaps between official rhetoric and implementation actions to generate public confidence that arrangements for the CSME are indeed being seriously pursued.
A notable absentee at that event was the regional economist Prof Norman Girvan, author of a seminal report titled ’Towards a Single Economy and a Single Development Vision’’ that outlines the road map for strategising and implementation.
To say that Girvan has become disillusioned over the approaches to implementing the CSME project unanimously and enthusiastically endorsed by Caricom leaders, would be to recall a similar discouraging example as it relates to Prof Vaughn Lewis’ report on a new and more effective form of governance of Caricom.
Caricom remains divided on how to introduce what leading political and economic scholars, eminent private sector executives and others regard as a necessary new administrative architecture.
At its core, as long recommended in the 1992 report of the West Indian Commission, would be a team of eminent Caricom nationals (either three or five) armed with executive authority and focused on systematic implementation of unanimously adopted decisions by the Heads of Government.
If it’s not a case of a seeming reluctance by Caricom’s political directorate against sharing power with leading regional technocrats, or preferring to expediently hide behind notions of ’national sovereignty’’, then they need to come clean in 2010 on what are really the main barriers to the introduction of a more relevant and rewarding system of governance of Caricom.
It would, undoubtedly, have been painful for Sir Shridath Ramphal, who headed the West Indian Commission, to tell a forum of very distinguished West Indians in November last year in Port of Spain at a ’Symposium on Regional Progress and Challenges’’:
’As with West Indies cricket, regionalism can be damaged if we forget our trust and are ruled by short-term fixes. We did not become independent of Britain to scatter our regional heritage to the winds of passing fortune; but we are being tempted to do just that, and Caricom is blowing in the wind…’’
The former Commonwealth Secretary General and long-serving Chancellor of the University of the West Indies was to arrive at a bleak conclusion as he evaluated the current status quo of Caricom:
’The CSME has lost its credibility. Shame overwhelms us as we create the CCJ and cling, unwanted to the Privy Council. If things continue to fall apart like this, ’the centre will not hold’. Caricom is in comatose; and a coma can, without intensive care, precede death…’’
Ramphal had expressed the hope that the symposium could ’help bring us to our senses’’.
Alas, that hope has been often and variously expressed at every succeeding Caricom summit.
It would, therefore, be a most pleasant and warmly embraced development to learn that at their 31st annual summit in Haiti, Caricom leaders are finally ready to reveal a new commitment to bring closure to the many negative features and occurrences during the second half of the first decade of this century, and offer hope for the first half of this second decade when the CSME is slated for launch.