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In earthquake-ravaged Chile, hundreds of have been confirmed dead and 2 million men, women and children have been affected by the disaster. Many parts of the disaster zone remain inaccessible and a full picture of the devastation is just beginning to become clear. Chile’s President Michelle Bachelet has made a plea for international aid.
“AmeriCares rapid response team is coordinating the delivery of critical medicines and medical supplies to help earthquake survivors” says Christoph Gorder, AmeriCares Vice President of Emergency Response. “AmeriCares has $1.5 million in medical aid in the pipeline available for immediate Chile relief.”
AmeriCares relief efforts are focused on providing medical aid including antibiotics, infection control items and surgical equipment. With regard to health care, the most serious problems have occurred in southern Chile, where six hospitals collapsed and two others were damaged severely and left unable to function.
To help speed aid to survivors, AmeriCares is also working with partners in the region—Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina and Colombia—to coordinate our response. Medicines, medical supplies and other humanitarian aid are expected to be delivered to local hospitals, clinics and other health care providers in the coming days.
Since 1989, AmeriCares has delivered over $16 million in medical and humanitarian assistance to Chile. For over 25 years, AmeriCares has responded with emergency relief and lifesaving aid to catastrophic disasters around the world that have affected millions of families: from Hurricane Katrina in the U.S., and the Tsunami in Southeast Asia, to deadly cholera outbreaks in Zimbabwe and the January earthquake in Haiti.