WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) has welcomed the Armenian government’s decision to rapidly deploy a 52-member rescue team to Haiti, and has called upon Armenian Americans to help augment the work of this highly trained team by sending donations – either through Armenian charities or directly to the American Red Cross and other relief organizations – to support the unfolding effort to aide the survivors of the devastating earthquake that hit the Haitian capitol of Port-au-Prince this Tuesday.

The Armenian rescue team, created in the aftermath of the 1988 earthquake that killed tens of thousands of Armenians and destroyed large portions of northeastern Armenia, will include specialists, search dogs, and advanced equipment. Tens of thousands are feared dead as a result of the Haitian earthquake, which measured 7.0 on the Richter Scale. The Armenian team has a track record of rapidly deploying to disaster sites around the world.

A number of options are available for donors, including on-line contributions to the Armenian Relief Society and even a texting option, set up by the Red Cross, that allows individuals to give $10 by sending the message “Haiti” to 90999 on their cell phone. To date, this mobile giving effort has raised more than $3 million for the Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti.