As we continue to ramp up our Haiti response there are some areas that we could use help from within the States. Below is a note from one of our leaders in the crisis. Could you or anyone you know help?
For those of you who have not had contact with me yet, let me introduce myself. I’m Kevin Watterson from the EFCA’s TouchGlobal crisis response unit, based in New Orleans. I am currently working on some logistical items, which you have offered to help with, which is why you are receiving this e-mail. We currently have several needs in the shipping/ logistical side of our operation in the Fort Lauderdale/ Miami area. I have been working most all of last week to acquire vehicles, procure shippers and find a suitable staging area for our shipping into Haiti. Here’s where we are, and what the needs are at the moment. I have verbal agreements on 2 vehicles that we will be buying in the next couple of days, we have been offered warehouse space in the Pompano Beach area for staging items, and I have at least one shipper who can manage the items we have already placed in the staging warehouse.
Ours current needs are as follows:
1. On Monday Feb 8, I will need a 16-20 ft box truck to move 11 pallets of Medical supplies from the Pompano Beach warehouse at Design Flooring- 2810 center port circle, to the shipper on Pembroke ave in Hollywood. We have a forklift at each location.
2. I need a rollback truck to move the current list of vehicles from locations in Loxahatchee and Ft, Lauderdale to the warehouse in Pompano Beach for staging, so we can fill them with donated items- this needs to be done Monday or Tuesday Feb 8 or 9.
3. I will need the rollback truck again to move them from the staging area to the dock, as soon as we fill them with other items, by the end of the week Feb 13
4. The preceding needs maybe ongoing as items continue to be donated.
5. We are going to continue to acquire vehicles, either through buying or donation, and I would like to have a mechanic who can go over the vehicles before we send them down to insure the best proper maintenance on them prior to shipping them.
6. These are specific vehicles we are looking for:
– 1989- 2001 2wd and 4wd Jeep Cherokees (not Grand- just the boxy looking standard one)- Since parts are limited, we want to have a consistent fleet that we can use for parts as the vehicles die-( which they will-slow and painfully)
– Isuzu NPR cab over style trucks with 14ft boxes, flat beds or Dump beds- with priority on the Dump bed. These trucks MUST have the diesel engine, and preferably be the manual transmission rather than automatic.
– 2003 and older Ford F-250 or larger Pickup trucks with the 7.3 liter diesel engine, extended or crew cabs, with regular beds, dump beds or flat beds preferably manual transmissions.
– 11 or 15 passenger vans- preferably with diesel engines -Once again Ford is preferable to maintain fleet consistency of parts.
If you can help with any of these needs, PLEASE call me or email me as soon as possible. Please Post these needs in your church, make an announcement or network with others who know people who can meet these needs. I have a class B license, and could drive the box truck or rollback and have had experience loading and tying down loads, but would prefer the help in moving the items rather than borrowing the trucks, but I’ll do whatever is convenient for those interested in helping.
Thanks for your willingness to help and serve, feel free to forward this on to anyone who can help.
Kevin Watterson
EFCA CRISIS RESPONSE
kevin.watterson@efca.org
US cell 610-637-0202
TeamDuggan 
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