Monday, February 15, 2010

Industrial Tractor for Haiti Recovery Operations!

What a great day!  We just bought a Ford 4500 industrial backhoe/loader!  We're now coordinating with United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) and the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance to coordinate onward movement to Port-au-Prince, where Haitian firefighters will immediately put her to work on recovery operations.  We anticipate that she will be working in the immediate vicinity of Port-au-Prince for several months.  This is a very versatile piece of heavy equipment, and there are VERY few items like this in the entire country of Haiti!  She has a brand new engine, just out of the crate, and that means her service life should be measured in decades...and why do I refer to this tractor in a feminine context?  She's beautiful, that's why...don't you think?
Thanks to our supporters for helping us in this important mission!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Haiti Update - We're Shopping for a Tractor!

Thanks to Ben, our VP of Operations, for sending supplies into Port-au-Prince today, including fire rescue equipment donated by Montgomery County, Maryland, Fire & Rescue Service.  Great job of coordinating, Ben!  Also, a big thank you to the professionals at United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) in Miami, the U.S. Air Force aircrews working out of Charleston AFB, the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, USAID (OFDA), and the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) in Port-au-Prince.

Recovery operations continue throughout Haiti, but there are numerous challenges.  Now, heavy rains are hitting large parts of the country.  With tens of thousands still lacking adequate shelter, this is a problem...rain also compounds the challenge of getting supplies to the people that need it the most, due to degraded/destroyed roads.

Our firefighters in Limbe continue to surge our agricultural operations, using the tractor to increase crop yields in support of the displaced persons.  Food will continue to be a great challenge, so the more that the Haitian farmers can produce, the less that will need to be shipped in...please help in this effort!

Lastly, we're shopping right now for a heavy equipment tractor to ship into Port-au-Prince!  Excuse us for getting excited, but knowing that, in a short period of time, a piece of equipment will be shipped into country and placed in the hands of Haitian firefighters so that they can move ahead on recovery operations gets us really motivated!  We know that one piece of gear won't solve all of the daunting problems facing Haiti...but it's a start...and we'll send more as soon as you go back to the TractorShare.org website and punch on the DONATE NOW button!  Come on, you can do it!

http://www.tractorshare.org