Friday, January 29, 2010

THAI Flies Humanitarian Freighter Flight to Haiti

Thai Airways International Public Company Limited announced that it will conduct a humanitarian freighter flight, transporting rice that has been donated from the Government of Thailand to the Republic of Haiti, on 1 February 2010.

Mr. Piyasvasti Amranand, THAI President, said that THAI is supporting the transport of 100 tonnes of rice from the Government of Thailand to the Republic of Haiti. THAI’s humanitarian air shipment will be transported on THAI’s cargo freighter Boeing 747-300F aircraft, which the Company obtained for cargo freight transport, on the route Bangkok-Incheon Airport-Alaska-Miami-Dominican Republic.

THAI’s freighter will depart from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on 1 February 2010, operating at approximately 36 hours flight time.

Once THAI’s humanitarian freighter flight lands at Santo Domingo Airport in the Dominican Republic, UN humanitarian assistance teams will dispatch donated goods to those in need of relief aid in Haiti. Haiti was struck by severe earthquake on 12 January 2010.

THAI’s humanitarian support is valued at the equivalent of USD 632,000 dollars.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

WHO spearheads health response to earthquake in Haiti

The severe earthquake that struck Haiti and the Dominican Republic has inflicted large-scale damage, including on hospitals and health facilities, and large numbers of casualties are feared.

Immediate health priorities include:
search and rescue of survivors trapped underneath rubble;
treatment of people with major trauma injuries;
preventing the infection of wounds;
provision of clean water and sanitation; and
ensuring breast-feeding is continued.

Control of communicable diseases, such as diarrhoeal diseases and respiratory infections, will be another major concern in coming days.

WHO is working with local authorities, United Nations agencies and humanitarian partners to respond to the emergency. More specifically, WHO is supporting the Haitian government to best coordinate international health assistance to the country. WHO is also collecting data on the health impact of the earthquake to disseminate to other humanitarian aid providers.

In addition, WHO is deploying a 12-member team of health and logistics experts. The WHO experts being sent include specialists in mass casualty management, coordination of emergency health response and the management of dead bodies.

UN buildings, including the WHO premises, have suffered damage in the magnitude 7.0 earthquake, which struck on 12 January. The main force of the earthquake was felt 17 kilometres south-west of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.

Haiti is a country that has already suffered from years of humanitarian crisis and natural disasters, including a series of hurricanes that battered the country in 2008.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Best Western Rewards SM Members to Donate Points for Haiti Relief

Members of Global Frequency Program Can Make a Difference through World Vision,
Best Western Hotelier and Employee Efforts Underway

Best Western International today announced that Best Western Rewards members can now contribute rewards points to the massive relief effort currently underway in the devastated nation of Haiti. Frequency program members can go to www.bestwestern.com/haitirelief to make a donation of 5,000 points, which translates to $20, or more to World Vision, Best Western’s official charity partner. Similar efforts are underway in Best Western regions globally.


Best Western hoteliers will also be able to donate via their monthly member statements to relief efforts being implemented by World Vision, and employees of Best Western International will be able to donate cash and vacation time.

In addition, on behalf of the Best Western membership, Best Western’s North American Development team made a substantial donation yesterday through World Vision, in support of the Best Western hotelier that was about to break ground in Port-au-Prince.

“Our hearts go out to the people of Haiti, to our associates there and to their loved ones” said David Kong, President and CEO of Best Western, and current Chairman of the American Hotel and Lodging Association. “We are rallying at the hotel, employee, and guest levels to contribute to this critical humanitarian mission.”
ABOUT BEST WESTERN INTERNATIONAL

Best Western International is THE WORLD'S LARGEST HOTEL CHAIN, providing marketing, reservations and operational support to over 4,000* independently owned and operated member hotels in 80* countries and territories worldwide. An industry pioneer since 1946, Best Western has grown into an iconic brand that hosts 400,000* worldwide guests each night. Equally committed to the business and leisure traveler, Best Western recently embarked on a mission to lead the hotel industry in customer care. World Vision is the charity of choice for Best Western in building the world's largest family, with our hotels and staff sponsoring children in need around the globe. Our partnerships with AAA/CAA, Michael Waltrip Racing and Harley-Davidson help guests make the most of every trip. For the fastest way to a free night, join Best Western Rewardsฎ, the only hotel frequency program that's truly global. For more information or to make a reservation, please visit www.bestwestern.com

Sunday, January 17, 2010

How The Earth Was Made: Tsunami

Tsunamis are one of the most terrifying forces of nature, destroying all in their path. The December 26th Tsunami is estimated to have released the energy of 23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs. What are the enormous forces that generate these catastrophic waves deep on the ocean floor? Unearthing compelling evidence that the West Coast of America was once struck by a tsunami every bit as big as the one that devastated the Indian Ocean - and its due to strike again, soon. Whilst East coast cities from New York to Miami face the threat of a truly colossal wave that could be generated by the collapse of an active volcano off the coast of Africa.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Underwater Universe Channel: HISTORY on TrueVisions A23 and D48

UNDERWATER UNIVERSE tracks the history and evolution of the Ocean's seven deadliest zones...locations that throughout history have been the direct cause of human devastation by floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, whirlpools, ice, underwater volcanoes, and shipping graveyards. Leading oceanographers, expedition footage from partnering organizations like Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and 3-D animation depict the awesome cosmic and geological fluctuations that make the Oceans deadly over time.