UK response to the Haiti earthquake

On 12 January an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 struck Haiti, close to Port au Prince. The United Nations, working with the Haitian Government, is leading the international aid effort.

UK Secretary for International Development, Douglas Alexander, gave a written Statement to Parliament on 4 February, outlining the assistance that the UK has provided to Haiti.

Read the statement on Haiti

The United Kingdom’s contribution to European Union humanitarian assistance for Haiti totals £42 million.

In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, the UK sent a search and rescue team with heavy rescue equipment and a surgical team specialising in saving injured limbs and crush injuries.

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary Supplies ship RFA Largs Bay has arrived in Haiti, carrying construction materials that will help to provide vital shelter for about 2,000 families as well as critically needed port handling equipment and vehicles. The ship will stay in the region for several weeks to help the UN ferry bulk supplies around small outlying ports in Haiti.