At 16:53 local time (21:53 Irish time) on 12 January, an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 struck Haiti about 10 miles south-west of the capital Port-au-Prince. Latest updates are posted below.

Latest News (last updated 17.00, Thursday 08 July, 2010)

Minister of State for Overseas Development Peter Power visits Haiti to witness the impact of Ireland’s contribution to the recovery operation. Read More >>

Minister of State for Overseas Development Peter Power is attending an international donors conference aimed at co-ordinating financial assistance for Haiti in the wake of the country's devastating earthquake last January. The conference in New York is being chaired by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in cooperation with the Haitian government. Minister Power is to pledge €13m from the Government over three years towards helping the long-term reconstruction effort. Read more>>>

A further €1 million in funding to support the international response to the earthquake in Haiti. Read More >>>

Funding of more than €800,000 for Irish aid agencies working in Haiti. Read More >>>

Irish Aid announces 50 tonnes of aid on its way to Haiti. A consignment of 50 tonnes of essential humanitarian supplies is expected to arrive in the Dominican Republic tomorrow (Feb 2), Minister of State for Overseas Development, Peter Power T.D. confirmed today. Read More..

The Irish Aid technical team, which has just returned from Haiti, will report to the Minister of State for Overseas Development, Mr Peter Power, T.D., this week and make recommendations on Ireland’s ongoing response to the earthquake. Read More...

Irish Aid announces second consignment of emergency aid for Haiti Minister of State for Overseas Development, Mr Peter Power, T.D., today announced a second consignment of 40 tonnes of essential humanitarian supplies for Haiti. Read More...

Minister Power commends the public’s generosity in response to Haiti disaster during Dáil debate. Read More...

Government aid consignment and Rapid Response Corps members arrive in Haiti. The Government’s consignment of more than 80 tonnes of emergency humanitarian supplies has arrived in Haiti, Minister of State for Overseas Development Peter Power confirmed today. Read more..

Government approves €600,000 in emergency funding to the United Nations to respond to Haitian disaster. The funding will support the urgent transport of goods, personnel and food in Haiti and assist the UN agency which is charged with coordinating the overall humanitarian response to the earthquake. Read More ..

Minister of State for Overseas Development, Mr Peter Power, T.D., pledges Ireland's ongoing support to Haiti at emergency meeting of EU Development Ministers today. Read More..

Government freights consignment of emergency supplies to Haiti
Minister of State for Overseas Development, Peter Power, today announced that the Government is to freight 85 tonnes of emergency supplies to Haiti as part of the international aid effort. Read More

Government deploys specialist emergency team to Haiti
The Government is to send a team of experts to Haiti to assist in the international emergency effort in the wake of this week’s devastating earthquake. The technical team, which will be drawn from Irish Aid, the Government’s programme for overseas development, will initially be charged with assessing needs on the ground. Read More

Government pledges emergency assistance for Haiti earthquake victims
The Irish Government announced emergency humanitarian assistance for those affected by the devastating earthquake which struck Haiti on Tuesday, 12 January. Read More

Further Information

The How-You-Can-Help website sets out the principles of good emergency relief, and the many ways in which members of the public can assist the Irish aid agencies to do their work. Visit http://www.howyoucanhelp.ie/index.html

For Advice for Irish Citizens from the Department of Foreign Affairs Visit - http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=27176

ReliefWeb is the key information service of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).Visit http://www.reliefweb.int

UN Central Emergency Response Fund

Ireland committed €20m to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) in 2009. The CERF provides rapid funding to emergencies and disasters such as that in Haiti.  Ireland is the 7th largest contributor having committed €73m since 2006. Irish Aid also pre-positions emergency funding with NGO partners such as Goal, Concern and Trócaire in order to allow for quick disbursal in emergency situations.

Rapid Response Initiative

The Irish Rapid Response Corp consists of 130 personnel with specialised skills in areas such as logistics, engineering and public health, which can prove vital in responding to emergency and humanitarian situations. In addition, Irish Aid has pre-positioned emergency supplies such as tents, blankets and water and sanitation equipment in depots around the globe which can be called upon in an emergency.

Civil Society Partners

In 2009, Irish Aid allocated funding of approximately €1 million to civil society partners working in Haiti.  This included more than €900,000 to Concern, and smaller amounts to missionary personnel.  Haiti is particularly vulnerable to natural disasters, and Irish Aid has responded to a number of emergency situations in the past, including a devastating series of hurricanes in 2008.

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