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Stamford, Conn. – April 18, 2016 – AmeriCares is deploying an emergency response team to assist the earthquake relief efforts in Ecuador. More than 300 people were killed and thousands injured when a 7.8-magnitude quake struck Ecuador’s northern Pacific Coast on Saturday – the worst earthquake to hit the country in decades. AmeriCares is also working with health care partners in the region to deliver medicine and relief supplies for survivors.
“With so many people injured and health facilities damaged, there is an urgent need for pain medicine, bandages, antibiotics and other critical supplies,” said AmeriCares Vice President of Emergency Response Garrett Ingoglia. “We are preparing an emergency shipment to meet survivors’ immediate needs.”
The emergency response team is expected to be on the ground Tuesday evening. AmeriCares has professional relief workers ready to respond to disasters at a moment’s notice and stocks emergency medicine and supplies in its warehouses in the U.S., Europe and India that can be delivered quickly in times of crisis.
The devastating quake struck coastal Ecuador with impacts hundreds of miles inland. AmeriCares partners report hospitals have sustained damage, and patients are being transferred to inland communities for care. Aftershocks, landslides and crumbling bridges and roads are making it difficult for emergency workers to get assistance to the hardest-hit areas. The number of dead and injured is expected to rise as search and rescue operations expand.
AmeriCares has been aiding survivors of natural disasters, political conflict and extreme poverty around the world for more than 30 years, saving lives and building healthier futures for people in crisis. On average, AmeriCares responds to 30 natural disasters and humanitarian crises worldwide each year. AmeriCares also establishes long-term recovery projects in communities affected by disaster and brings disaster preparedness programs to vulnerable communities.
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