VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHWN #0038/01 0151639
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 151637Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0188
INFO EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI IMMEDIATE
RHMCSUU/CDR USJFCOM NORFOLK VA IMMEDIATE
RHMCSUU/CDR USSOCOM MACDILL AFB FL IMMEDIATE
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE IMMEDIATE
RHMFISS/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL IMMEDIATE
RHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RHMFIUU/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL IMMEDIATE
RHMFIUU/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL IMMEDIATE
RHMFIUU/COMFIFTHFLT IMMEDIATE
RHMFIUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RHMFIUU/NGA HQ BETHESDA MD IMMEDIATE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS BRIDGETOWN 000038 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AEMR ASEC CASC KFLO MARR PREL PINR AMGT
SUBJECT: TFHA01: EASTERN CARIBBEAN GOVERNMENTS PLEDGE HAITI 
EARTHQUAKE AID 
 
¶1.  (U) Governments, NGOs, businesses and private citizens 
throughout the Eastern Caribbean have reacted immediately to the 
Haiti disaster with a massive outpouring of concern and pledges of 
money and material.  Governments in the region are attempting to 
organize a coordinated response through regional entities like 
CARICOM and CDEMA (the regional emergency relief agency), while the 
private sector is working hard to collect donations.  There is 
still some confusion and lack of coordination of these efforts, but 
collection and forwarding plans are being actively worked out and 
should be streamlined in the coming weeks.  Local press reports 
that Dominica PM Roosevelt Skerrit, in his capacity as CARICOM 
chair, accompanied by PM Thompson of Barbados would fly to Haiti on 
Friday, 1/15 as part of a fact finding mission to assess the needs 
there.  (Comment:  Barbados had not planned to make such a visit at 
this time, but PM Denzil Douglas apparently made an announcement of 
the proposed visit while campaigning, and the visit has been 
hastily pulled together in coordination with PM Golding in Jamaica. 
End Comment). 
 
 
 
¶2.  Country-specific pledges and announcements follow: 
 
 
 
------------------------------ 
 
St. Vincent and the Grenadines 
 
------------------------------ 
 
 
 
¶3.  (U) St. Vincent Prime Minister Gonsalves announced, and MFA 
confirmed, that St. Vincent will be sending flour, rice and bottled 
water to Haiti, along with an unspecified cash donation. 
 
 
 
-------- 
 
Barbados 
 
-------- 
 
 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Barbados PM Thompson announced publicly that Barbados is 
arranging a disaster response to include availability of Regional 
Security System (RSS) assets.  Barbados security officials told us 
privately that they hope to send up to 60 Barbados Defense Force 
personnel and up to six Search and Rescue specialists to assist as 
well, and are looking at how best to coordinate their deployment. 
Barbadian officials informed us that they hope, though CDEMA as 
organizer, to use Jamaica as a consolidation point for CARICOM 
country donations to Haiti in preparation for further handling. 
 
 
 
¶5.  (U) Also in the Barbadian civil society sector: 
 
 
 
-- The One Caribbean Media Group comprising Starcom Network, Nation 
Publishing Company, The Express Newspaper (Trinidad) TV 6 
(Trinidad), GBN (Grenada) will be hosting a telethon to raise BDS$ 
1 million (US$500,000) for Haiti on Saturday January 16th from 8 
a.m. until noon.  The telethon will also be broadcast on Hott 93 in 
Trinidad and Klassic Radio in Grenada and the Wave Radio in St. 
Lucia. 
 
 
-- The Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the island's lone 
television station, is in the final stages of planning a relief 
effort which they will announce January 14 or 15. 
 
 
 
-- The Salvation Army has launched an appeal. 
 
 
 
-- Spoken Word Artiste AJA has launched a food appeal. 
 
 
 
-- President of the Guild of Graduates of the University of the 
West Indies Carl Padmore has launched a food and clothing appeal. 
 
 
 
-- Anglican Archbishop of the West Indies Dr. John Holder has said 
he will mobilize the churches in his province to start a donation 
project. 
 
 
 
-- The Catholic Church is taking up donations to send to CARITAS in 
Haiti 
 
 
 
-- The Barbados Youth Development Council is attempting to coalesce 
the country's youth organizations into an umbrella relief effort. 
 
 
 
-------- 
 
Dominica 
 
-------- 
 
 
 
¶6.  (U) The Government of Dominica has been in contact with a 
US-based private sector bulk water carrier to explore the potential 
for providing potable fresh water as follows: 
 
 
 
The Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica asked Sisserou Water 
to assist to transport bulk water to Haiti under a long term 
donation from Dominica.  Sisserou Water has located, arranged and 
studies the securing of the floating storage water tanker (barge 
for storage is being inspected on Friday in New Orleans La), 
transportation of the water, and all the other factors.  The 
company believes this system can be in place in Haiti within about 
2 to 3 weeks if needed.  The Government of Commonwealth of Dominica 
(with Sisserou Water) could arrange about 2.6 million U.S. gallons 
every 2 days into the Port Au Prince area for distribution. 
 
 
 
According to the company, which claims extensive previous 
experience in Haiti and on-the-ground Haitian staff, The water 
could be distributed either: 
 
 
1 - directly from the floating storage barges into a central water 
area for people with buckets/bottles 
 
 
 
2 - directly from the floating storage barge into above pipe lines 
to interior areas of Port Au Prince for people with buckets/bottles 
 
 
 
3 - directly from the floating storage barge into whatever is still 
operational of the local water system that is not damaged. 
 
 
 
4 - directly from floating storage barge into bottles for 
distribution To people. 
 
 
 
------- 
 
Grenada 
 
------- 
 
 
 
¶7.  (U) Prime Minister Thomas convened a meeting of the National 
Emergency Advisory Council (NEAC) to determine what support Grenada 
might be able to provide to Haiti.  Grenada will take its lead from 
Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).  If 
materials do prove useful, it will look to CDEMA or the U.S. to 
assist delivery of the materials.  It expects cash will be useful 
in any event, and steps will proceed to collect it. 
 
 
 
The NEAC queried whether the U.S. would be in a position to help 
deliver supplies from Grenada identified as useful by CDEMA. 
Grenada's response is very much informed by the circumstances of, 
and the generosity of the international response to, its own 
disaster in 2003.  With limited resources, the island is straining 
to come up with ways in which it can make a difference for another 
Caribbean country in distress. 
 
 
 
¶8.  (U) Thomas said the government would: 
 
 
 
-- Establish a government account to collect donations.  The 
government should decide in advance who will eventually receive 
these funds. 
 
 
 
-- Hold a phonathon sponsored by the Government Information Network 
to raise funds.  The effort is scheduled for Monday, 18 January. 
It will complement a region-wide phonathon to be held on Saturday, 
16 Jan, by a private TV channel.  The Government decided to mount a 
separate effort since Saturday morning typically has a low TV 
audience and it doubts that it will collect much money. 
 
 
 
-- Assess potential donations of food and materials pending word 
from CDEMA.  A quick inventory suggested that Grenada can spare 
 
 
batteries, lanterns, collapsible water containers, blankets, 
camping mats, bowls and portable toilets.  UNDP authorized monies 
for foodstuff purchases - Grenada is considering donating its 
remaining food monies, USD 4,165,  if a way can be found to ship 
the food  from Grenada to Haiti. 
 
 
 
-- Encourage the Grenadian diaspora in the U.S. to purchase water 
for delivery to Haiti.   The emphasis on water derived from the 
comments of the police rep, who has served with the U.N. in Haiti. 
In his view, water is likely to be the most needed commodity in 
Haiti. 
 
 
 
-- Provide the  Regional Security Service's (RSS) with the name of 
a single trained disaster responder to stand-by.  That person 
already has been designated. 
 
 
 
-- Consult with local companies about making available teams that 
can travel to Haiti to help restore power, telephone, and other 
utilities. 
 
 
 
-- Provide a list of disaster management responders to CDEMA with 
the intent to rotate supplied. 
 
 
 
-- Consult with NGOs and churches on mounting a church-based 
collection effort at the end of the month. 
 
 
 
-- Consider whether to take Haitian children into Grenadian schools 
until their own schools are rebuilt.   Although Grenada's patois 
has considerable French influence, there is concern about the 
language barrier between English and Creole. 
HARDT