How to ship to a specific address in Haiti?
January 14, 2010 8:21 AM Subscribe
How can I get supplies to a specific person in Haiti right now?
A friend of mine has family in Haiti (I believe near, but not in, Port-au-Prince). They're thankfully OK, but obviously there's the ongoing problem of getting access to things like food/water/fuel. What's the most efficient way, if any, to get physical goods to them? We've got an address, but places like UPS aren't equipped to ship there right now.
A friend of mine has family in Haiti (I believe near, but not in, Port-au-Prince). They're thankfully OK, but obviously there's the ongoing problem of getting access to things like food/water/fuel. What's the most efficient way, if any, to get physical goods to them? We've got an address, but places like UPS aren't equipped to ship there right now.
This is almost definitely not going to happen unless you have connections that can deliver it personally.
posted by proj at 8:28 AM on January 14, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by proj at 8:28 AM on January 14, 2010 [1 favorite]
Also, here's an interesting article about donating stuff versus money.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 8:41 AM on January 14, 2010
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 8:41 AM on January 14, 2010
Response by poster: Also, here's an interesting article about donating stuff versus money.
This isn't a donation, a specific person is asking for specific things.
posted by mkultra at 8:50 AM on January 14, 2010
This isn't a donation, a specific person is asking for specific things.
posted by mkultra at 8:50 AM on January 14, 2010
There is a complete breakdown of social services and the government seems to have totally collapsed, I doubt anything you send will make it.
posted by BobbyDigital at 9:01 AM on January 14, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by BobbyDigital at 9:01 AM on January 14, 2010 [1 favorite]
Right now, consider instead transferring money to them via a bank or money-transfer service--my guess is that anything you shipped would have a hard time reaching them. MoneyGram plans to have at least some agents operating as of today, and I'm sure the same is true of other services.
posted by Sidhedevil at 9:55 AM on January 14, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Sidhedevil at 9:55 AM on January 14, 2010 [1 favorite]
I'm sorry, but you will not be able to send specific goods to a specific person anytime soon. The FAA has just suspended all flights to Haiti:
12:23 p.m. -- FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown says the Haitian government is not accepting incoming flights because ramp space at the Port au Prince airport is full and no fuel is available. The FAA isn't giving take-off clearances for Haiti-bound flights until space becomes available. There are 10 civilian and and one military aircraft in a holding pattern, waiting to get into Port-au-Prince.
Your best bet is getting money to them through a service like Western Union or Money Gram, if possible, so they can bargain for goods on the ground.
posted by sharkfu at 9:59 AM on January 14, 2010
12:23 p.m. -- FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown says the Haitian government is not accepting incoming flights because ramp space at the Port au Prince airport is full and no fuel is available. The FAA isn't giving take-off clearances for Haiti-bound flights until space becomes available. There are 10 civilian and and one military aircraft in a holding pattern, waiting to get into Port-au-Prince.
Your best bet is getting money to them through a service like Western Union or Money Gram, if possible, so they can bargain for goods on the ground.
posted by sharkfu at 9:59 AM on January 14, 2010
And even if you wire money, check to see if it'll get there (that there's an operating Western Union terminal near them, for example) -- we've been trying since the quake to wire money and top off cell phones for our colleagues doing field work there, and haven't had any luck.
posted by range at 4:37 PM on January 14, 2010
posted by range at 4:37 PM on January 14, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
Also, check some grassroots sites.
posted by stormpooper at 8:27 AM on January 14, 2010