The Irish Government is to send 85 tonnes of emergency aid to Haiti as part of the international aid effort.
Minister of State for Overseas Development, Peter Power said it was essential the important supplies reach the people of Haiti “as quickly as possible”.
“The fastest way in is by air. They are being drawn from Ireland’s pre-positioned stockpiles and are expected to arrive in Haiti in the coming days.
“The fact that we can respond so quickly is evidence of the lessons we learned as a result of our engagement with the Asian tsunami in 2004,” Mr Power said.
He said the consignment was “a key component of the Government’s urgent and focused response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti”and shows the importance having pre-positioned supplies and funding in place to allow a swift response.
“The families whose lives are in turmoil as a result of this terrible disaster desperately need shelter and water. We are working closely with our partners in Concern and Goal to deliver this aid quickly and effectively on behalf of the Irish people, who have always shown such generosity towards those in need,” Mr Power said.
Three members of Ireland’s Rapid Response Corps will deploy to Haiti over the coming days, while other members remain on standby “as necessary”, Mr Power said.
“Two corps members, an electrical engineer and an IT expert, will work with the World Food Programme to bolster the international response to the disaster. The third Corps member is a Defence Forces engineer who is a UN-trained disaster expert.”
Mr Power will travel to Brussels on Monday to participate in an emergency meeting of EU development ministers which has been convened by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton.
“It is vital that the EU works together to mobilise our resources in a coordinated and focused manner to do all we can to alleviate the terrible suffering of the Haitian people,” the Minister said.
A small “technical mission” from the Government’s Irish Aid programme will also travel to Haiti in the coming days to assess the “immediate needs” of the people and identify “short-term gaps” in the overall response, he added.
They will be accompanied by a Defence Forces’ engineer who is a UN-trained disaster expert.
Ireland allocated €20 million of pre-positioned funding to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund in 2009, which is being drawn down to support the UN response in Haiti. The Government this week pledged €2m in additional emergency funding, which is being channelled through the United Nations and Irish aid agencies in the region.
President Mary McAleese said the thoughts and prayers of Irish people were with the people of Haiti.
“We can only imagine the grief that has beset that nation as it continues the rescue efforts to save lives, treat the injured and sadly, bury the dead.
“We in Ireland have a strong record of responding quickly and effectively to humanitarian disasters such as this one. We all still remember the tsunami that struck Asia just a few years ago and brought such an outpouring of sympathy and assistance from the Irish people,” she said.
Mrs McAleese said she believed Irish people would demonstrate their generosity through private donations to our NGOs working in Haiti.
