Aid Agencies In Chile Say Much More Help Is Needed

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has revised its appeal for emergency aid in Chile, asking for a further $13 million to address communities which have still not received adequate help.

Mirroring the situation in earthquake-ravaged Haiti, Chile's rainy season will soon present considerable problems to the many thousands throughout the nation who lost their homes in the 8.8 quake that hit on February 27.

Voice of America spoke to Marie-Francoise Borel, a spokeswoman for the International Red Cross Foundation.

From Voice of America:

"They need a roof over their heads," she said. "The rainy season is coming. Winter is just around the corner and we have to try and make sure that these people who have been left homeless - and there are tens of thousands of families who have been left homeless - have something over their heads."

Borel says many people are living in tents. Others are staying with family and friends. She says wooden transitional shelters, which are more solid than tents, will have to be built to withstand the rains.

You can contribute to a number of organizations providing relief in Chile through our Chile Earthquake Relief page.

Comments

[RichardWalden]

01:48 PM on 03/14/2010

Agreed. Operation USA, www.opusa.­org is trying to help in Chile through community-­based groups with long histories serving Chile's substantia­l amount of urban and rural poor who were disproport­ionately affected by the series of quakes.

The unfortunat­e timing of the Chile quakes coming on the heels of Haiti means that none of the NGOs has adequate resources to sustain a longer relief effort.

Despite Chile's status s a creditor economy, millions of Chileans live at the margins and deserve our support.