Aussies pledge $300,000 to help Haitians

Australians have pledged $300,000 so far to help victims in earthquake-ravaged Haiti.
One aid agency said it was one of the biggest responses since the 2004 Boxing Day
tsunami but warned millions more will be needed before Haiti gets back on its feet.
Tuesday's powerful 7.0-magnitude quake has caused massive damage in the Caribbean
island, already considered the poorest country in the Western hemisphere.
It's feared up to 100,000 people may have been killed and millions are believed to
have been injured or left homeless by the disaster, which flattened buildings in the
Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince.
Aid agencies have rushed to help and the Australian government has pledged an
assistance package worth $10 million.
Some Australians, including Brisbane woman Rachel Hoffman, have spoken of surviving
the quake, while others, such as Jonas Ramone, adopted by an Australian family when
he was six, have yet to contact family back home.
New Zealand aid worker Emily Sanson-Rejouis is on her way home with her last
surviving child after losing her husband and two young children.
Authorities have accounted for 20 Australians in Haiti at the time of the quake who
are now safe.
Oxfam spokeswoman Kate Thwaites said the agency had received $100,000 in donations
so far but more was needed.
"It's obvious that this is such a huge disaster, so we're going to be appealing for
more," she told AAP on Friday.
"It's been one of the best responses since the (2004 Boxing Day) tsunami, so
obviously Australians have been quite affected by this."
Oxfam and others, including UNICEF and the international Red Cross, already have
teams on the ground in Haiti, providing tents, water and medical assistance.
"Bodies may stay under the rubble for a long time because it is difficult to access
some sites and heavy lifting equipment is in limited supply," Oxfam's Cedric Perus
said from Port-au-Prince.
"There are bodies all over the city.
"Many people have lost their homes and were sleeping out in the open last night.
"It is dangerous at night.
"Lootings were widespread and some markets were ransacked."
Emergency relief has been hampered by traffic bottlenecks at Port-au-Prince's
airport and on the roads, while there have been disruptions to the communications
system as well as electricity and water supplies.
UNICEF is spending $15 million in early response and plans to have three airlifts
completed by the weekend, including shipments of tarpaulins, water containers, water
purification tablets and medical kits.
There are major concerns for Haiti's young people, with almost half the population
under the age of 18.
Australian Ian Rodgers, who works for Save the Children and has just arrived in
Port-au-Prince, estimates as many as two million children have been affected.
Anyone wishing to donate can do so through the websites of UNICEF, the Red Cross,
Caritas and Oxfam, or their hotlines.