FedEx Response to Haiti

The first details to emerge from Haiti after a 7.0 earthquake struck were devastating. Relief agencies estimated the toll could climb to more than 100,000 people. The capital city of Port-au-Prince was leveled. Infrastructure was severely damaged or destroyed.

Suddenly this small island country, one of the world’s poorest, was in desperate need of life-saving equipment and relief supplies. The FedEx Global Citizenship team responded immediately. Through our alliances with charitable organizations that work “on the ground” after a natural disaster, our team members drew up a plan of action and got to work.  Team members such as my colleague Lisa Daniel knew what to do.

Lisa has been with FedEx for 30 years and knows who to call to make things happen in a hurry. Her longstanding personal relationships with the leaders of the charities with which we work and with key people at FedEx make for quick work when we respond to disasters.

Like Lisa, the rest of our team members also knew what to do. That’s because natural disaster preparedness and response is a key part of the FedEx contribution to local communities all over the world. So how are we responding to the earthquake in Haiti?

As part of the first wave of efforts, 84 pallets of relief supplies will begin transportation on Friday from the U.S. to Haiti. FedEx will provide in-kind shipping from three U.S. points to Miami. Then the relief supplies will be moved into Haiti as soon as local airport conditions allow. FedEx will underwrite the cost of the transportation from Miami to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Here are details of the initial FedEx shipments:

• Water Missions International: 40 pallets weighing a total of 16,000 pounds will be flown from Charleston, SC to Miami. These are water purification systems that operate on solar power and each one is able to purify 10,000 gallons of water a day.
• Heart to Heart International: 28 pallets of food, water, medical and shelter supplies will be flown from Kansas City, MO to Miami.
• Direct Relief International: 16 pallets weighing a total of 16,000 pounds from Los Angeles to Miami. These pallets will contain medical supplies for hospitals and clinics. The value of these goods from Disaster Relief stands at $1.4 million.  

Operationally, FedEx Global Operations Control continues to monitor airport, airspace and Charter restrictions within Haiti. Right now there is still is uncertainty over the specific conditions at the Port-au-Prince airport and its capability to handle air traffic. As soon as conditions warrant, FedEx will review sending FedEx aircraft directly to Haiti.

Like other companies that have stepped up to the challenge of helping this devastated country, our coordinated response is the result of the expertise and commitment that team members bring to their jobs every day.

It’s times like this when a “special delivery” truly does mean the difference between life and death.