Red Cross flooded with phone calls from Utahns who want to help Haiti

Editor's note: If you have information out of Haiti or know people with ties to the island country, please e-mail newstips@desnews.com.

Utahns eager to help those affected by the devastation in Haiti flooded the phone lines at offices of Utah's American Red Cross offices Wednesday morning, following word that a 7.3 earthquake has left one of the world's poorest nations dependent on outside relief. They offered everything from donations of money, clothing and food to requests to travel to Haiti in person to help with relief efforts.

Red Cross officials are asking people to carefully consider the best way they can help — which is most often a monetary donation or partnering with the Red Cross to raise money.

Susan Thomas, communications director for the Utah region, said a quick way for people on the move to donate is to send the text message "Haiti" to 90999 — which will automatically send a donation of $10 to the Red Cross. Texters will then be billed for the donation on their next cell phone bill.

Donations to the Red Cross International Response Fund — used for international relief work — can be made by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS or online at www.utahredcross.org and clicking on the "donate" tab.

At this point, Thomas said, monetary donations "are the very best way" for Utahns to help those in Haiti or other areas who need emergency response. Groups or organizations who want to raise funds or organize fundraisers to help the Haitian relief effort are encouraged to call Neva Baker at 801-323-7003 to coordinate those efforts through the Red Cross, she said.

The American Red Cross has already sent $1 million for initial Haitian relief efforts, and the total may rise as relief workers already on the ground assess the situation and coordinate with other relief organizations, Thomas said.

As for those who "call and want to run down there and help," the Red Cross only sends volunteers into disaster regions based on direction from its national and international offices after a needs assessment has been done.

Those who are sent by the organization are usually located close to the region in need, and have already been trained in the details of disaster relief work, she said.