Americas News
Haiti aided by quick response from Latin America, says Red Cross
Jan 19, 2010, 12:02 GMT
Geneva - The response to the earthquake in Haiti was aided by a quick reaction from Latin American Red Cross societies, an official from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said Tuesday.
'We are increasingly seeing that regional national societies have reached positions of strength to step across borders in times of need,' said Matthew Cochrane said in Geneva.
The lion's share of the initial emergency response following the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti, came from Latin American Red Cross societies who deployed some 180 aid workers, he said.
This was a change from the past, when the Red Cross depended almost entirely on the most developed countries in North America and Western Europe to send in aid teams, the official said.
