Orange County Help Effort in Haiti

Rescue teams from Southern California including a group from Orange County are being sent to Haiti to help in the recovery effort from the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that occurred on Tuesday. The team includes search dogs, paramedics, rescuers and equipment to work through the rubble. The California Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 5 will be in Haiti for two to four weeks. The team is part of a U.S. response team designed to aid after natural or man made disasters, terrorist attacks or other crisis situations. According to the Orange County Register their flight had been delayed in the morning leaving a Riverside Air Force base. The team’s previous experience was during Hurricane Katrina and Gustav. They are taking food, water and search dogs to aid in the rescue effort. The BBC news page website reports that UN personnel are still missing, and some U.S. citizens are still unaccounted for. The Red Cross, World Bank, IMF and UN have sent money, medical assistance, or assistance for rebuilding. Groups urge people to help with what they can: The Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, UNICEF.