"In response to early reports about today's earthquake in China, AmeriCares is working to quickly assess what help is needed and how the international relief community will be able to assist with humanitarian relief.
"AmeriCares has a long history of responding to major earthquakes, most recently the 8.0 earthquake in Peru (August 2007), 7.9 magnitude earthquake in Pakistan (October 2005), and 6.3-magnitude earthquake in Bam, Iran (December 2003). While AmeriCares personnel have been working around the clock for the past week to bring desperately needed relief to the survivors of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, we are deeply concerned about the health and well-being of the thousands affected by today's 7.8-magnitude earthquake in China.
"We will share additional updates on emergency response plans as we learn more from contacts in the region and mobilize to deliver the medicines and medical supplies needed to deal with the traumatic injuries that arise from an earthquake of this scale."
-Curt Welling, president and chief executive officer of AmeriCares, May 12
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
Weilin Kuang, the Chinese Deputy Consul-General (Deputy Chief of Mission), speaks about the Sichuan earthquake during a press conference in New York May 22, 2008. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton (UNITED STATES) ...
