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| Britons give £23m to Haiti appeal | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Britons have donated £23m ($37.6m) to the Haiti appeal, the Disasters and Emergency Committee (DEC) has said. | |
| Meanwhile the UK government is to treble its funding for the humanitarian response to the Haiti earthquake from £6.2m ($10m) to £20m ($32m). | |
| The money, to be announced at an EU meeting later, will fund food, shelter, health services and relief work. | The money, to be announced at an EU meeting later, will fund food, shelter, health services and relief work. |
| United Nations worker Frederick Wooldridge, 41, from Kent, is the first confirmed British casualty. | United Nations worker Frederick Wooldridge, 41, from Kent, is the first confirmed British casualty. |
| The Foreign Office says more than 30 Britons are safe and well after Tuesday's 7.0-magnitude earthquake. | The Foreign Office says more than 30 Britons are safe and well after Tuesday's 7.0-magnitude earthquake. |
| It said it was in touch with worried families of other Britons. | It said it was in touch with worried families of other Britons. |
| Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was "enormously grateful" for Britons' generosity and reassured donors their "money would get through" to those in need. | |
| He also pledged the UK would not walk away from "a country which has suffered so many disasters" with only "a week's charity". | |
| The most basics of human life - water, food, shelter - are exactly what's lacking at the moment International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander UK rescuers continue Haiti search Aid effort 'tougher than tsunami' Fraud fear blocks Haiti donations | The most basics of human life - water, food, shelter - are exactly what's lacking at the moment International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander UK rescuers continue Haiti search Aid effort 'tougher than tsunami' Fraud fear blocks Haiti donations |
| The increased funding from the Department for International Development is to be announced at a meeting of European Union development ministers in Brussels later. | The increased funding from the Department for International Development is to be announced at a meeting of European Union development ministers in Brussels later. |
| International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said it was clear "the international community is dealing with an almost unprecedented level of devastation". | International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said it was clear "the international community is dealing with an almost unprecedented level of devastation". |
| "To address the needs of the immediate humanitarian response, the UK government will pledge a further $20m, on top of the $10m initially donated," he said. | "To address the needs of the immediate humanitarian response, the UK government will pledge a further $20m, on top of the $10m initially donated," he said. |
| He told BBC News: "The most basics of human life - water, food, shelter - are exactly what's lacking at the moment." | He told BBC News: "The most basics of human life - water, food, shelter - are exactly what's lacking at the moment." |
| Money so far pledged by the Department for International Development (Dfid) has been used by the Haitian Red Cross to help 20,000 families. | Money so far pledged by the Department for International Development (Dfid) has been used by the Haitian Red Cross to help 20,000 families. |
| Funds have also been used to deploy UK search and rescue teams and by the World Food Programme to transport and organise relief. | Funds have also been used to deploy UK search and rescue teams and by the World Food Programme to transport and organise relief. |
| Frederick Wooldridge was a keen skier and mountaineer | |
| Britons have donated £23m to the Disasters and Emergency Committee (DEC), an umbrella group of 13 major British-based charities. | |
| The DEC says a £25 donation buys a kit of household essentials, £50 is enough to feed a family for a fortnight and £100 funds temporary shelter for two families. | |
| However, Oxfam's Graham MacKay said efforts had been "set back several paces" before the appeal was even launched. | However, Oxfam's Graham MacKay said efforts had been "set back several paces" before the appeal was even launched. |
| "Under normal conditions we would expect to get [aid equipment] out of the door within hours but we had a warehouse in Haiti that got flattened in the earthquake. | "Under normal conditions we would expect to get [aid equipment] out of the door within hours but we had a warehouse in Haiti that got flattened in the earthquake. |
| "We had an office that was destroyed as well and we've lost staff," he said. | "We had an office that was destroyed as well and we've lost staff," he said. |
| Relief efforts have also been hampered by supply bottlenecks, leading to security concerns over looting and violence amid increasing desperation. | Relief efforts have also been hampered by supply bottlenecks, leading to security concerns over looting and violence amid increasing desperation. |
| The DEC appeal for victims of the earthquake in Haiti | The DEC appeal for victims of the earthquake in Haiti |
| There are concerns about the safety of aid workers, with reports of gunfire and youths carrying machetes. Some charities have taken security guards, while others are supported by UN security forces. | There are concerns about the safety of aid workers, with reports of gunfire and youths carrying machetes. Some charities have taken security guards, while others are supported by UN security forces. |
| Geoffrey Dennis, chief executive of DEC member Care International, said it had been "extremely difficult" but that aid was getting through. | Geoffrey Dennis, chief executive of DEC member Care International, said it had been "extremely difficult" but that aid was getting through. |
| "We can understand people being frustrated but we are now having quite an effect," he said. | "We can understand people being frustrated but we are now having quite an effect," he said. |
| "We have staff out there who have lost their own children and they are still working 100% of the time to try to help other people." | "We have staff out there who have lost their own children and they are still working 100% of the time to try to help other people." |
| The organisation had distributed 60,000 meals and 600,000 water purification tablets, he added. | The organisation had distributed 60,000 meals and 600,000 water purification tablets, he added. |
| DEC APPEAL The Disasters Emergency Committee is co-ordinating an appeal to help the people of HaitiThere are 13 charities involved including the British Red Cross, Islamic Relief and World VisionDonate via the DEC website or by telephoning 0370 60 60 900 DEC radio appeal Haiti: How to help | DEC APPEAL The Disasters Emergency Committee is co-ordinating an appeal to help the people of HaitiThere are 13 charities involved including the British Red Cross, Islamic Relief and World VisionDonate via the DEC website or by telephoning 0370 60 60 900 DEC radio appeal Haiti: How to help |
| Water engineer Martin Harrison, from Harrogate, said the situation at the Baptist Mission Hospital near Port-au-Prince was "very challenging". | Water engineer Martin Harrison, from Harrogate, said the situation at the Baptist Mission Hospital near Port-au-Prince was "very challenging". |
| "We've got five times the number of patients here that this hospital could cope with." | |
| Few people had survived to identify bodies and so they were being forced to use mass graves, he added. | Few people had survived to identify bodies and so they were being forced to use mass graves, he added. |
| It is unclear how many Britons remain unaccounted for in Haiti after the earthquake, which killed tens of thousands. | It is unclear how many Britons remain unaccounted for in Haiti after the earthquake, which killed tens of thousands. |
| The leading US general in Haiti, Gen Keen, said it was a "reasonable assumption" that up to 200,000 people may have died. | |
| Steven Fisher, the UK's ambassador to Haiti and the Dominican Republic, said the Foreign Office's rapid deployment team was "doing quite well" in its efforts to account for expatriate Britons. | Steven Fisher, the UK's ambassador to Haiti and the Dominican Republic, said the Foreign Office's rapid deployment team was "doing quite well" in its efforts to account for expatriate Britons. |
| But he added: "Even getting out and visiting a few sites in the city takes an awful lot of effort." | But he added: "Even getting out and visiting a few sites in the city takes an awful lot of effort." |
| However, one British survivor - bank worker Alistair Cameron, from Inverness - disputed reports access was such a problem. | However, one British survivor - bank worker Alistair Cameron, from Inverness - disputed reports access was such a problem. |
| Relatives say hope is fading for missing UN worker Ann Barnes Haiti quake: Aid workers' diaries | Relatives say hope is fading for missing UN worker Ann Barnes Haiti quake: Aid workers' diaries |
| "Where there was a blockage due to fallen trees or masonry from collapsed buildings, I always found, without too much difficulty, an alternative route," he said. | "Where there was a blockage due to fallen trees or masonry from collapsed buildings, I always found, without too much difficulty, an alternative route," he said. |
| Mr Cameron added that while there might be problems bringing aid into Haiti, there was "certainly no problem" distributing it. | Mr Cameron added that while there might be problems bringing aid into Haiti, there was "certainly no problem" distributing it. |
| The Foreign Office said it was beginning to repatriate UK nationals, and had "located and checked on over 30 other Brits, who have confirmed they are safe and well". | The Foreign Office said it was beginning to repatriate UK nationals, and had "located and checked on over 30 other Brits, who have confirmed they are safe and well". |
| Mr Wooldridge was a senior political affairs and planning officer at the UN, for which he had worked in Geneva and Liberia before moving to Haiti in 2007. | |
| A family statement said he had "loved" his work and "had many friends in the UN and beyond". | |
| Another UN worker, Ann Barnes, 59, of Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, is feared to have been killed in the collapse of the headquarters in the capital. | Another UN worker, Ann Barnes, 59, of Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, is feared to have been killed in the collapse of the headquarters in the capital. |
| The UN has lost at least 40 workers, including the head of the local mission, Hedi Annabi, who has been found dead in the rubble. | The UN has lost at least 40 workers, including the head of the local mission, Hedi Annabi, who has been found dead in the rubble. |
| Ms Barnes's sister, Irene Marquet, said: "She must be still there in the rubble which is an awful thing to know." | Ms Barnes's sister, Irene Marquet, said: "She must be still there in the rubble which is an awful thing to know." |
| Have you or your family been affected by the earthquake? Are you taking part in the relief effort? If you have any information you wish to share with the BBC you can do so using the form below: | Have you or your family been affected by the earthquake? Are you taking part in the relief effort? If you have any information you wish to share with the BBC you can do so using the form below: |
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