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LOCAL HAITI:The military and humanitarian groups are mobilizing .... in response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti.
January 13, 2010
TAMMY BABCOCK RUNS AN ORGANIZATION CALLED "HELP TAMMY HELP HAITI". TAMMY BABCOCK: "AND WE'VE GONE INTO HAITI AND WE'VE BUILT A WATER TOWER IN THE MOST DEVASTATED AREA, NORMALLY EVEN BEFORE YESTERDAY. IT'S CALLED CITY SOLEIL." CITY SOLEIL IS PART OF PORT AU PRINCE WHICH WAS HIT BY TUESDAY'S EARTHQUAKE. BABCOCK ALREADY HAD A FLIGHT BOOKED TO HAITI ON JANUARY 26TH TO DO MORE RELIEF WORK. TAMMY BABCOCK: "I HOPE, I'M JUST HAVING FAITH THAT THE PEOPLE THAT I HELP IN CITY SOLEIL, BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOTHING ANYWAY, THAT THE EARTHQUAKE HASN'T MADE THEM ANY WORSE OFF. I MEAN WHEN YOU LIVE IN A SHACK, I'M HOPING THAT IF IT CAME DOWN IT MIGHT NOT TAKE TOO MANY BODIES WITH IT." THE WORK SHE AND HER CO-WORKERS DO IS FUNDED BY DONATIONS TO "HELP TAMMY HELP HAITI". TAMMY BABCOCK: "WE'RE DOING A FUNDRAISER MONDAY EVENING AT CLOVERLEAF BOWLING LANES STARTING AT 6 O'CLOCK." ALL CELL PHONE COMMUNICATION HAS BEEN CUT IN PORT AU PRINCE AND SHE'S LOOKING FOR HELP. TAMMY BABCOCK "WHAT I'M HOPING FOR IS THAT A NEWS BROADCASTING AGENT WOULD WANT TO SUPPORT ME WITH A SATELLITE PHONE." THAT WOULD ALLOW HER TO REPORT BACK TO CANADA, AND KEEP IN CONTACT WITH UNITED NATIONS WORKERS AND HER STAFF ON THE GROUND IN PORT AU PRINCE. : IN KINGSTON, THE RED CROSS HAS QUICKLY ORGANIZED A FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN TO HELP IN THE HAITIAN RESCUE AND RELIEF EFFORT. MELISSA FOUGERE: "AND PEOPLE CAN DONATE AT THE LOCAL BRANCH, OR THEY CAN DONATE ON THE WEBSITE AT WWW.REDCROSS.CA OR OUR 1-800 NUMBER IS 418-1111." MONEY RAISED BY THE RED CROSS WILL BE USED FOR SHELTER, FOOD AND WATER FOR THOSE DEVASTATED BY THE POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE. MELISSA FOUGERE: "KINGSTONIANS ARE VERY GENEROUS. OUR PHONES HAVE BEEN RINGING NON-STOP SINCE THIS MORNING BEFORE WE EVEN OPENED. AND THEY CONTINUE TO RING." HAITI HAS BEEN HIT BY SEVERAL HURRICANES IN QUICK SUCCESSION IN RECENT MONTHS. THIS MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE JUST ADDS TO THE MISERY AND TERROR THAT HAS BECOME THEIR WAY OF LIFE. AND BABCOCK CAN'T WAIT TO GO AND HELP OUT. TAMMY BABCOCK: "THIS IS JUST TEARING ME UP INSIDE TO EVEN HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THE 26TH TO LEAVE." CHRIS HARVEY, CKWS NEWSWATCH, KINGSTON.
