Signal FM radio station provides lifeline in Haiti

The station stayed on the air during the quake and in the aftermath, allowing people to broadcast pleas for help in finding loved ones and providing survival advice.

By Tracy Wilkinson

February 1, 2010 4:47 p.m.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fg-haiti-radio2-2010feb02,0,921054.story

Arbitron and Etón Donate 1,000 Radios to Haitians

Read at :
http://www.rwonline.com/article/93890

Live VOA creole call-in show links Haitians with medical professionals

Washington, D.C., January 27, 2010 – Haitians questioned medical professionals today in a live Voice of America (VOA) Creole Service program that was anchored from outside the ruined presidential palace in Port-au-Prince and heard by millions of people. Jean Robert Philippe, a VOA broadcaster, was surrounded by Haitians in the capital city seeking to pose questions to the medical team after the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake. Callers from across Haiti dialed into the program from cell phones.
Mode Silver, a psychologist based in Miami, Fla., told callers the effects of the earthquake will be felt for generations of Haitians. Also participating was Dr. Marie-Josee Fransoi, a specialist in community and public health from Orlando, Florida.
"Our goal was to give listeners a chance to get answers directly from medical professionals," said Ronald Cesar, chief of VOA's Creole Service. "Living through the earthquake has left many of them both physically and emotionally scarred, and we want to try to ease their suffering any way that we can."
VOA Creole-language broadcasts have expanded to 10.5 hours a day on weekdays, and 9.5 hours on weekends since the Jan. 12 earthquake. VOA's Creole Service reaches more than 50 percent of adult Haitians on a weekly basis. Up-to-date information is also available around the clock on www.VOANews.com/creole.
The Voice of America, which first went on the air in 1942, is a multimedia international broadcasting service funded by the U.S. Government through the Broadcasting Board of Governors. VOA broadcasts more than 1,500 hours of news, information, educational, and cultural programming every week to an estimated worldwide audience of more than 125 million people. Programs are produced in 45 languages and are intended exclusively for audiences outside of the United States.

(VOA Press Release)

Flying radio station broadcasts help to Haiti

By Mike Ahlers, CNN
January 26, 2010 10:05 a.m. EST
San Juan, Puerto Rico (CNN) -- Sixty miles west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, an Air Force C-130 makes slow and lazy ovals over the Golfe de la Gonzave, a 264-foot weighted wire dangling from its belly like a plumb line. This is Commando Solo, a radio station in the sky. The long wire, kept vertical by a 500-pound lead weight, is helping transmit an AM radio signal to the people of Haiti. Four other antenna on the wings and fuselage are sending FM signals.

Read the full story here : http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/01/26/haiti.flying.radio/

Haiti Quake frequencies returned to normal use

From the WRO Newsroom...

We are advised that the frequencies of 3720 and 7045 kHz are once again available for regular amateur use.

The following is from Ramon, XE1KK, via ARRL:

Considering that the amateur radio stations on the air from Haiti are operating in more regular patterns Dr. Cesar Pio Santos, HR2P, IARU Region 2 EMCOR has released the use of 7.045 MHz and 3.720 MHz. We thank the world radio amateur community for their support in keeping these frequencies clear during the past days.

(Worldradio-l )

New Creole programme from BBC World Service for Haiti

BBC World Service will launch a special lifeline programme in the Haitian Creole language from Saturday 23 January 2010. This will be the first time the BBC has broadcast in the Haitian national language. This follows other special BBC programming for listeners affected by the Haitian disaster in the French, Spanish and English languages. The new 20-minute daily programme in Creole will contain the latest information about aid and rescue operations, plus messages from people trying to locate family members and other useful, practical information for the survivors of the earthquake.

The new programme will be broadcast between 9.10 and 9.30 Haiti time (14.10 to 14.30 GMT). It will also be available on the Canal Satellite Antilles Caribbean-wide radio and TV satellite network and on bbccaribbean.com. The daily programme will be rebroadcast on six FM relays on the island: Port-au-Prince 89.3 FM; Cap-Haïtien 105.5 FM; Gonaïves 90.5 FM; Las Cayes 106.9 FM; Jacmel 96.9 FM; and Jérémie 92.7 FM. It will also be available on shortwave.

BBC World Service Director, Peter Horrocks, says: "We believe our new service in the Creole language will be a vital source of trusted information to Haitians at this time of crisis, as well as to the rescue and aid teams who are working so hard on the ground. "We have had lots of positive feedback that our broadcasts in English, French and Spanish have been appreciated on the ground." BBC World Service continues to offer special programmes about the crisis in Spanish and English, between 12.00 and 13.00 GMT on shortwave on 11860 kHz (25 MB) and 9410 kHz (31 MB).

The BBC is expecting all the programmes will also be available on the local FM network via the BBC's partner station, Radio Lumiere, when it returns to air. BBC Caribbean - the English-language service for the region - is also supporting audiences in Haiti and the wider region with crucial information. The service's Twitter updates (@bbccaribbean), dedicated to Haiti, as well as coverage of the wider Caribbean and Haitian diaspora reaction to the tragedy, run on the website, bbccaribbean.com. Updates also continue in the regular programme, Caribbean Report.

(BBC World Service International Publicity)

Additional info ....

From this Saturday, 23 January 2010, a BBC Global News multimedia and multilingual team will be based in Miami providing a daily helpline broadcast to the whole of Haiti in Creole. The plan is to broadcast the 20 minute long programme until at least Sunday 7 February. The team will be able to produce output related to Haiti to all other BBC outlets, in radio, TV and online, as needed. We can produce the content in English, French, Creole and Spanish. The daily programme will be rebroadcast on FM by the six relays that Radio France International has in the island. TX time is 09:10 to 09:30 Miami and Haiti time (14:10 to 14:30 GMT). We will be sending the pre-recorded programme to RFI by FTP.

The show will be presented by Carline Faustin and Simone Degraff, who host a Creole language programme in Miami's public radio, WLRN. BBC editorial team comprises producers and reporters from WS radio news, international facing online and BBC Caribbean. Marie-Claire Williams , from BBC Caribbean is a Creole speaker and will provide editorial oversight of the transmission. Henri Astier , from BBC News website will be Editor in Charge. Nick Miles , and Emilio San Pedro from WSNCA will edit the programme. Lisa Robinson , from BBC World Service Trust, will also be working in this project, bringing the WS Trust's experience in broadcasting lifeline programmes to audiences around the world.

The aim is to provide a programme that makes the best information available to the people of Haiti and draws on the material being provided by the UN, the US and others, but also makes a point of drawing on the experience and expertise of the Haitian population.

Americo Martins, Regional Executive Editor, WS Americas, has been instrumental in pulling together all the aspects of the new Creole language programming for Haiti, including building the team.

Happy Station Show Haitian Relief Special

The special edition of Happy Station focusing on the HAM radio operators who were the first to send and receive information from Haiti.

To listen goto www.pcjmedia.com and then click on archive.

(Keith Perron)

VOA Reaches Out to Haiti

Read the VOA blog post here :

http://voanewpublicrelations.blogspot.com/2010/01/voa-reaches-out-to-haiti.html

Update on HCJB Global in Haiti

Aftershock Rattles Haiti as HCJB Global/Samaritan's Purse Team Continues Work

Sources: HCJB Global, Baptist Haiti Mission, World Gospel Mission, Associated Press, BBC (written by Ralph Kurtenbach and Harold Goerzen)

A 5.9-strength aftershock early Wednesday, collapsing already-damaged buildings, but the HCJB Global Hands emergency medical team working at the Baptist Haiti Mission (BHM) hospital in Port-au-Prince reported they're all fine.

The seven-member team continues working 12-hour surgical shifts, treating those injured in the Jan. 12 quake that devastated Haiti's capital.

The powerful aftershock, centered about 35 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, sent Haitians screaming into the streets, collapsing buildings, cracking roads and adding to the trauma of a nation stunned by an apocalyptic quake eight days ago. At least one woman, traumatized by the aftershock, died of a heart attack in Port-au-Prince. The jolt matched the strongest of the tremors since the original 7.0-magnitude quake.

The multi-specialty team, working in conjunction with Samaritan's Purse, a North Carolina-based Christian aid group, arrived Friday, Jan. 15, from Ecuador. While two surgeons, an anesthesiologist, a nurse and two family physicians have worked at the hospital with the BHM staff, water engineer Martin Harrison set up a Water Missions International (WMI) filtration plant that is now chlorinating pond water for use at the hospital compound.

"Supplies are now improving as the WMI unit produces 10,000 gallons of drinking water per day at full output," Harrison said. "We are taking water from a fishpond of all places, passing this through the WMI water filter and filling a cistern beneath the hospital."

Family physician Steve Nelson said the team is giving priority to the most severe cases. "We non-surgical types were out on the floors trying to triage which cases were most likely to get complicated if left longer," he explained. "Sepsis, infected compound fractures and little kids made up our priority list." With more complicated cases, the surgical workers totaled 15 operations in one day, finishing after midnight.

"They are not seeing any simple breaks or fractures," Krys Baker, the hospital administrator, said of the surgical teams. "Many bones are crushed, making surgeries very difficult. They are also seeing a lot of infections. Many people have waited to come to the hospital and as a result they are having to do amputations." Infectious diseases have not shown up yet, according to a BBC report, but tetanus and gangrene are a threat to the injured.

Several days after HCJB Global's team arrived, another 17 physicians and nurses arrived from Samaritan's Purse. Upon staffing a second operating room, the 100-bed hospital can now treat more injured Haitians.

In spite of limitations on fuel, water and Internet connection, the team members' contact with their families in Ecuador has been constant. Missionary Kim Barton said from Shell, Ecuador, that her husband, Paul, "mentioned the aftershock because it woke him up. He was calling to try to find more tetanus [vaccine]." The Bartons serve at HCJB Global's jungle hospital in Shell where Paul is an anesthesiologist and his wife, Kim, is a pediatrician.

Also from the Shell hospital, German surgeon Eckehart Wolff lay on a surgery table to donate his own blood to a patient named Alexis who was suffering from severe internal abdominal bleeding. "The lady was stable this morning; however, sadly, she died this afternoon. She must have been crushed by something in the quake," said Harrison.

There is joy amid such suffering, Nelson said, recounting how family physician Marcos Nelson's patient, a young girl, began to sing even as the physician cleaned her wound. Anesthetized from pain but still conscious, the girl had a wound that revealed something serious enough for her to be placed first on the list for the next morning.

"Then we all heard her start singing," Steve Nelson related, "first in sort of a low voice and later stronger ... and it seemed happier! It was in Creole, so of course none of the Spanish and English speakers could know what she was saying ... but a translator brightened up nearby and said she is singing, 'I am saved, I am saved, I am saved!'"

The aftershock also rattled the nerves of people at partner ministry Radio Lumière, which only suffered minor damage in the original quake, although three of the staff members were killed while they were away from the station.

"Everyone there was OK [following the aftershock]," said Timothy Rickel, vice president of communication at World Gospel Mission (WGM). "Most people are sleeping outdoors anyway."

WGM engineer Paul Shingledecker helped put the station back on the air Sunday, Jan. 17, enabling the Radio Lumière to aid in communications and send out a message of hope to beleaguered Haitians.

"There is no city power, and it will be some time before there will be any," Shingledecker added. "I've seen lines down all over the city, including major high-tension lines. The station is entirely dependent on back-up generators. Some diesel is available, though not a lot yet. But money to buy it is the major factor."

A call to Radio Lumière's satellite service produced wider bandwidth for the station to stream audio on the Internet. "This is a major praise," said Rickel.

An HCJB Global engineer and others working at Radio Lumière when the Jan. 12 quake struck decided to "ride out the earthquake in the building," according to David Russell who heads the HCJB Global Technology Center in Indiana.

Alan Good had traveled to Haiti on Jan. 6 to work on the station's FM, Stereo 92. "He spent two nights there following the quake, awaiting news from his Haitian host family," Russell said. "It turned out that they also escaped injury."

With help from a Mission Aviation Fellowship pilot, Good re-established contact with Russell and was flown back to the U.S. on Sunday.

Low-tech radios connect Haitians

By John D. Sutter, CNN
January 20, 2010 8:27 a.m. EST

When cell phone coverage and Internet failed, some Haitians turned to amateur radio to communicate.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

- Amateur radio provides a back-up link between Haiti and the world

- Proponents say radio signals are often the only way to communicate after a disaster

- A Haitian man says amateur radio helped him contact family in the U.S.

- After initial outages, mobile phone service has been returning to Haiti

Read the story here :
http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/01/20/haiti.amateur.radio/index.html?hpt=C2

Radio stations getting back on the air in Port-au-Prince

Source: Reporters sans Frontières
Date: 20 Jan 2010

Read the report here :

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/VVOS-7ZVNNA?OpenDocument

In Haiti, UN radio station resumes broadcasts with French support

20 January 2010 - One week after the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti, the United Nations radio station in Port-au-Prince, MINUSTAH FM, is back on air with material and technical assistance from Radio France and Télédiffusion de France.

Read the full story here :

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33538&Cr=haiti&Cr1=

Venting sorrow, seeking hope, Haitians here turn to radio

Read the boston.com article here :

http://tinyurl.com/yjae7ut

HCJB Global Physicians Arrive in Haiti for Relief Work with Samaritan’s Purse

Sources: HCJB Global, Samaritan's Purse, World Gospel Mission (written by Ralph Kurtenbach and Harold Goerzen)

As relief teams attempt to reach earthquake-ravaged Port-au-Prince, a multinational medical and water sanitation team from HCJB Global Hands in Ecuador is praising God for its arrival in the Haitian capital Friday, Jan. 15.

"The situation is really desperate, and safety is an increasing problem as people get more frantic for water, food and medical help," said Martin Harrison, a British water engineer on the seven-member emergency medical response team in Florida, on Thursday. "We want to get on with the job, but we're daunted by the very serious nature of the situation. Please pray for the team and that God would protect us and get us there in his perfect way and timing."

"We are certain that the medical people we are slated to relieve are so very tired after this now 48-hour marathon in the hospital," said family physician Steve Nelson on Thursday as the team waited to catch an emergency flight at the airport in West Palm Beach, Fla. The team arrived in Port-au-Prince Friday morning.

Another ministry, Samaritan's Purse (SP), is sponsoring the HCJB Global team in Haiti and handling its logistics. SP is centering its medical relief efforts at a 100-bed hospital in Port-au-Prince operated by a local partner, Baptist Haiti Mission. The hospital, 20 miles from the quake's epicenter, suffered only minor damage and has electricity from back-up generators.

Members of the HCJB Global team include Ecuadorian surgeon Leonardo Febres, German surgeon Eckehart Wolff, U.S. anesthesiologist Paul Barton, U.S. family physicians Steve Nelson and Marcos Nelson, Harrison and International Healthcare Director Sheila Leech, a British nurse who heads the group. Most have assisted after previous disasters elsewhere such as in quake zones of Indonesia and Pakistan, Lebanon after war, and flooded areas of Mexico and Ecuador.

Likewise, the SP team consists of veterans of many disaster responses, but even they were shocked by what they encountered upon their arrival. "The streets are full of people who have no homes to go back to," said Dr. David Gettle, a medical adviser. "They're running out of food, fuel and water. The situation is desperate and tense, and there is tremendous suffering."

A cargo plane chartered by SP has made several flights to Port-au-Prince since Wednesday, transporting 11 members of its own disaster team along with rolls of plastic for temporary shelters, blankets, hygiene kits, jerry cans, flashlights, water purification sachets, water purification kits and two community water filters.

The primary goal of HCJB Global's team is to bring medical aid and clean water to the injured while also addressing the spiritual needs of the Haitian earthquake victims. "This is an opportunity to show God's love in a tangible way," said HCJB Global President Wayne Pederson. "We feel privileged to play a small part in this emergency operation."

The 7.0-magnitude quake struck on Tuesday, Jan. 12, even as an HCJB Global Voice engineer was in Port-au-Prince to do technical work for partner ministry Radio Lumière. The engineer and three others (two from the U.S.) escaped injury.

World Gospel Mission (WGM) is sending Paul Shingledecker to Haiti on Saturday to assess the damage at Radio Lumière, get it back on the air and meet with church and radio leaders to begin building a long-term strategy for assisting Haiti. Shingledecker, who served as a missionary in Haiti for 23 years, will also be checking on radio staff members, some of whom are feared dead.

"The station is still standing," said Tim Rickel, WGM's vice president for communication. "It is structurally sound, although many things have fallen off the shelves. All of the radio towers are also standing." He said the station has back-up generators to supply electricity, but they are dependent on diesel fuel which is in short supply.

Radio Lumière, a WGM partner ministry operated by the Evangelical Baptist Mission of South Haiti, consists of nine radio stations and a television station. It covers 90 percent of Haiti with the message of Christ's love.

Another HCJB Global cooperating ministry, radio station 4VEH, operated by One Mission Society (formerly OMS International) in Cap-Haitien, was undamaged.

"We want to be able to show the face of Jesus as we work with our hands. We trust the name of Jesus will be lifted up in all that we do," said Steve Nelson.

Support of HCJB Global's efforts will help provide medical supplies and basic necessities such as sleeping bags, flashlights, tents and emergency water filters. Plans are under way to send additional teams in the weeks to come.

The most recent news can be found at www.twitter.com/hcjbglobal In order to donate to the relief efforts, please visit www.hcjbglobal.org.

Since 1931, HCJB Global's passion has been to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Using mass media, healthcare and education, and working with partners around the world, HCJB Global has ministries in more than 100 countries. Together with local partners, the ministry airs the gospel
in more than 120 languages and dialects. Thousands of listeners and healthcare patients are meeting Jesus. Local believers are being trained as missionaries, pastors, broadcasters and healthcare providers.

BBC World Service broadcasts special lifeline programming for Haiti

BBC World Service will be broadcasting special lifeline programming for listeners in Haiti in the French, Spanish and English languages from tomorrow, Saturday 16 January.

Special programmes about the crisis will be broadcast this weekend between 12.00 and 13.00 GMT on shortwave on 11860 kHz (25 MB) and 9410 kHz (31 MB).

The BBC is expecting the programmes will also be available on the local FM network via the BBC's partner station, Radio Lumiere.

The special programmes will come from the BBC Afrique (French for Africa) and BBC Mundo (Spanish language) networks, as well as BBC World Service's flagship English-language news programme, Newshour.

Special programmes in Spanish and English were also broadcast today.

BBC World Service Director, Peter Horrocks, says: "This is a humanitarian crisis on a huge scale, and good quality information is a vital but scarce commodity there.

"So far, we've had lots of information from the country by Skype and Twitter. So we'll be using the same tools to inform people that we are broadcasting these special services as well as the NGOs on the ground, websites and any other means possible."

BBC Caribbean in English is also supporting its audiences in Haiti and the region with crucial information. The website bbccaribbean.com will be running a Twitter site dedicated to Haiti, as well as its ongoing coverage of the wider Caribbean and Haitian diaspora reaction to the tragedy. Updates will also continue in its regular Caribbean Report.

(BBC World Service Publicity)

TWR Haiti Earthquake Response

It's difficlt to quell the emotions when viewing the images of or reading about the devastation that has hit the people of Haiti.

The outpouring of support from countless individuals, organizations, churches and governments has been tremendous. Many emergency reponse teams are either on the ground already or are en route to bring much needed releif in the form of clean water, food, medical supplies and treatment for the survivors.

To address the spiritual and emotional needs of the people of Haiti, TWR has partnered with Haiti's Radio 4VEH to rebroadcast it's local Christian programming over our 100,000-watt AM station on the Caribbean island of Bonaire.

Since Radio 4VEH is located in the northern part of Haiti it was not severely impacted by the earthquake. But because its broadcasts do not effectively reach listeners in Port-au-Prince, Radio 4VEH has agreed to allow TWR to rebroadcast its live Internet audio stream, in the local language of Creole, into Port-au-Prince.

(Trans World Radio)

VOA’S Creole service expands hours, adds AM frequency to reach quake victims

Washington, D.C., January 14, 2010 – The Voice of America's (VOA) Creole Service, reaching out to Haitian earthquake victims in their language, is ramping up the strength and frequency of emergency broadcasts to Haiti. With Haiti's communications infrastructure badly damaged, the VOA, the largest international broadcaster in Haiti, is providing listeners with news and information via a combination of shortwave, AM and satellite broadcasts. "We're doing everything we possibly can to reach people in Haiti who have a desperate need for information," said Alberto Mascaro, chief of VOA's Latin America Division.
He said Creole Service programming on shortwave and satellite radio has expanded from 1.5 hours daily to 5 hours. Programs now air at 7:30-8:30 am EST (1230-0130 UTC); 12:30-2:30 pm EST (1730-1930 UTC); 5:00-6:00 pm EST (2200-2300 UTC) and 8:00-9:00 pm EST (0100-0200 UTC). The evening programs can also be heard on 1180 AM from a transmitter and tower in Marathon, Florida, pre-empting Radio Marti at those times. VOA is playing a leading role to help Haitians reach out to one another. A special call-in number – 1-202-205-9942, mailbox 42 – has been established for people to leave messages that will be broadcast to Haiti. Facebook and Twitter accounts have also been created in Creole.

VOA reporters are on the ground in Haiti, covering the international response to the disaster. Basic survival information, statements by President Obama and messages from Haitians living in the United States have been broadcast back to those dealing with the disaster. Like other native Haitians living in the United States, VOA Creole staffers are still trying to confirm the status of their relatives on the island, according to Ronald Cesar, chief of the Creole Service. VOA's Creole Service reaches more than 50 percent of adult Haitians on a weekly basis. Up-to-date information is also available around the clock on www.VOANews.com/creole.

(VOA Press Release)

Monitoring Info for Traffic on the Haiti Earthquake

SB SPCL @ ARL $ARLX002
ARLX002 IARU Region 2 Requests Frequencies Be Kept Clear After Massive Earthquake Strikes Haiti

ZCZC AX02
QST de W1AW
Special Bulletin 2 ARLX002
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT January 13, 2010
To all radio amateurs

On Tuesday, January 12 at 4:53 PM Haiti time (2153 UTC), a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit 10 miles (15 kilometers) west of Port-au-Prince, the island nation's capital. Communications in and out of Haiti have been disrupted. No word has been received as of yet from any of Haitian Amateur Radio operators. The ARRL encourages US amateurs to be aware of the emergency operations on the following frequencies: 7.045 and 3.720 MHz (IARU Region 2 nets), 14.265, 7.265 and 3.977

MHz (SATERN nets), and 14.300 MHz (Intercontinental Assistance and Traffic Net). The International Radio Emergency Support Coalition (IRESC) is also active on EchoLink node 278173.

IARU Region 2 Area C Emergency Coordinator, Arnie Coro, CO2KK, is coordinating a multi-national response by hams. There are organized nets on 7.045 and 3.720 MHz; amateurs are asked to monitor the frequencies, but to also keep them clear of non-essential traffic. Amateur Radio operators should also be aware that emergency traffic pertaining to the Haitian earthquake is expected on the SATERN frequencies of 14.265 MHz, 7.265 MHz and 3977 MHz, according to SATERN's leader, Major Pat McPherson. The Salvation Army is accepting health and welfare traffic requests on its Web site.

"As late as 9:45 PM local time (0245 UTC), we have not been able to contact any amateur or emergency services stations in Haiti," Coro said in an e-mail. "Amateurs from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Venezuela are monitoring the 40 meter band frequency. We are still keeping watch on 7.045 MHz, hoping that someone in Haiti may have access to a transceiver and at least a car battery to run it," but so far. no HH stations have checked in.

Tuesday's quake was felt in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, and in Eastern Cuba, but no major damage was reported in either place.

The January 13 edition of The Daily DX reported that the Rev John Henault, HH6JH, made contact late Wednesday morning with the Intercontinental Assistance and Traffic Net (IATN) on 14.300 MHz; this is the IARU Global Center of Activity frequency for emergency communications. He said that he was safe, but had no power and no phone service. He was operating on battery power and hoping to get a generator running later in the day. The edition also noted that Pierre Petry, HH2/HB9AMO -- who was in Cap Haitien (about 140 km north of Port-au-Prince) is "okay"; Petry is in Haiti working for the United Nations World Food Program. Later today, he will be traveling to the capital.

The UN's 9000 peacekeepers in Haiti -- many of whom are from Brazil -- were distracted from aid efforts by their own tragedy: Many spent the night hunting for survivors in the ruins of their headquarters. "It would appear that everyone who was in the building, including my friend Hedi Annabi, the United Nations' Secretary General's special envoy, and everyone with him and around him, are dead," French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Wednesday, speaking on French radio. UN peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy would not confirm that Annabi was dead, but said he was among more than 100 people missing in the rubble of its headquarters. He said only about 10 people had been pulled out, many of them badly injured. Fewer than five bodies had been pulled from the rubble, he said.

The United Nations said the capital's main airport was "fully operational" and that relief flights would begin on Wednesday, January 13.

The situation in Haiti is still chaotic. More information will be posted as soon as possible. Information is being validated and shared between many amateur groups and news sources as it unfolds.

SOURCE: American Radio Relay League http://www.arrl.org/

73 and Good DX from Eric Bueneman
Amateur Radio Station NØUIH
Registered Monitor KDXØSTL, KMOØCN
Hazelwood, MO-Grid Square EM48ts

(Via ASWLC, American Shortwave Listeners Club List)

At least one Haitian Ham station active

From the CQ / WorldRadio Online Newsroom:

Some ham radio activity from Haiti is beginning to be heard, following yesterday's devastating earthquake.

Father John Henault, HH6JH, in Port-au-Prince, made contact late Wednesday morning with the Intercontinental Assistance and Traffic Net (IATN) on 14.300 MHz, the IARU Global Centre of Activity frequency for emergency communications. Based on relays monitored at W2VU, Father John reported that he and those with him were safe, but had no power and no phone service. He was operating on battery power and hoping to get a generator running later in the day. He asked the station copying him, William Sturridge, KI4MMZ, in Flagler Beach, Florida, to telephone relatives with information that he was OK.

The following frequencies are in use for earthquake-related traffic and should be kept clear unless you are able to provide requested assistance:
14300 (IATN), 14265 (SATERN); 7045 (IARU Region II) and 3720 (IARU Region II) kHz. Additional frequencies may be activated on different bands at different times of day, so be sure to listen carefully before transmitting to make sure you are not interfering with emergency traffic.

We will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.

-- The editors

VOA’S Creole service reaches millions in Haiti with special news reports

Washington, D.C., January 13, 2010 – Haitians, cut off from the world by a devastating earthquake, tuned in to special shortwave and satellite radio broadcasts from the Voice of America's (VOA) Creole Service to learn the latest news and information.

Hours after Tuesday's earthquake struck near the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, VOA broadcast a 90-minute special program to the people of Haiti. The program included statements of support from President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; updates from the U.S. Geological Survey, the Red Cross, the United Nations and Haitian geologists; and interviews from Haiti. Up-to-date information is also available around the clock on
www.VOANews.com/creole.

VOA also set up a special call-in number – 1-202-205-9942, mailbox 42 – for people to leave messages that will be broadcast to Haiti. Facebook and Twitter accounts are also being created.

Today, the service broadcast 30 minutes of news, including an interview with Haitian Ambassador Raymond Joseph. Another show is scheduled for 12:30pm EST/17300 UTC.

"In times of crises, VOA is a lifeline of information," said VOA Director Danforth Austin. "Because of our technologies, we are able to reach people in their own languages when disasters strike. Our hearts go out to the people of Haiti, and we'll continue to give them the latest, accurate news."

Ronald Cesar, chief of VOA's Creole Service, said it was difficult for people to get telephone lines out of Haiti. In addition, damage was severe to one of the VOA's FM affiliates, Radio Guinen. "I talked with the manager and he said his tower was down," Cesar said.

VOA is the leading international broadcaster in Haiti, with a weekly audience reach of 50%.

(VOA Press Release)