San Francisco, January 14: Companies pledged millions of dollars in aid on Wednesday to help victims of a powerful earthquake in Haiti that devastated much of the impoverished country’s capital and killed thousands.
Digicel Group, a top mobile phone operator in Haiti, said it would donate $5 million in cash toward relief efforts and appealed to others to help victims of the quake.
Lowe’s Cos Inc is donating $1 million to the Red Cross’ efforts in Haiti. The no. 2 U.S. home improvement chain also plans to seek monetary contributions from its customers, spokeswoman Julie Yenichek said.
National Bank of Canada, which will contribute up to C$250,000 to the Canadian Red Cross, said National Bank MasterCard cardholders can exchange reward points for a cash donation to the Canadian Red Cross.
Bank of Nova Scotia said it would accept donations to the Canadian Red Cross in its bank branches, and would make a C$250,000 corporate contribution.
Wells Fargo will contribute $100,000 to the American Red Cross’ disaster relief fund. Bank of America Corp plans to provide aid too, a company spokeswoman said.
FedEx Corp said it is working with international relief groups including the Red Cross to fly supplies to the island once shipments start moving, while United Parcel Service Inc, which participates a World Food Program that helps coordinate delivery of aid to disaster zones, said it expects to have its volunteers in the program called up soon.
The magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti on Tuesday, collapsing buildings in the capital Port-au-Prince and burying people under rubble. As many as 50,000 people could be dead because of the earthquake, Haiti’s president Rene Preval said.
The devastation crippled the government and the U.N. security and assistance mission which had kept order, and there were no signs of any organized rescue efforts.
Haitian Red Cross spokesman Pericles Jean-Baptiste said his organization was overwhelmed. “There are too many people who need help … We lack equipment, we lack body bags,” he told on Wednesday.
Reports on casualties and damage were slow to emerge due to communication outages.
—Agencies