HELPING HANDS FOR HAITI

Norwalk son of 'Hope for Haiti' founder part of relief effort

BY ROBERT KOCH, Hour Staff Writer

The Hour 01/16/2010, Page A01 -- NORWALK - Getting food, water and medical supplies to earthquake survivors is the mission of a relief effort sched-uled to touch down in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, today with a Norwalk resident aboard.

On board the Boeing 757 cargo plane will be Carl R. Kuehner III, president and CEO of Building and Land Technology in Norwalk, and 2,500 tons of supplies.

Kuehner is the son of JoAnne Kuehner, who 20 years ago founded "Hope for Haiti," a Naples, Fla.-based nonprofit organization that has worked to expand education, nutrition and health care in the impoverished island nation. Tiffany Kuehner, his daughter and former program director for Hope for Haiti, also will be on the plane.

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"We're going to deliver the supplies to the hospitals and orphanages. Then we're going to get an overview of the situation on the ground," Carl Kuehner said. "The first needs today are food, water and supplies. There will be multiple waves of this. They need to be fed, they're hungry, and they're thirsty. We're bringing medical and surgical equipment. We're looking to get the supplies to the people."

The cargo plane has been donated by GE. The medical supplies are being provided by AmeriCares and donors, according to Hope for Haiti. On Friday afternoon, Kuehner and his daughter prepared to fly out of Westchester County Airport en route to Florida and then Haiti.

"The 757 is already being prepped as we speak. It is full of medical supplie s and also construction supplies that are needed,"Tiffany Kuehner said.

The delivery will not be the first.

Two relief planes were scheduled to land in Port-au-Prince Friday morning to deliver medical supplies, food, water and medical volunteers. The supplies were headed to a trauma center at Villa Creole in Petionville outside Port-au-Prince. On Friday, emergency relief buckets containing food, water purification tablets and a hygiene kits were being distributed, but supplies were "running out fast," according to Hope for Haiti.

Several days after the earthquake, the relief effort is in large part focused on removing dead bodies, according to Tiffany Kuehner.

"The focus now is dealing with the dead bodies. It is so significant that it's going to be a huge public health problem for, and that's why we need to focus on r espirators and Hazmat suits," she said.

Since the earthquake struck, she has kept her friends and colleagues at Hope for Haiti informed about the situation in Haiti. Her initial e-mail announced the devastation, casualties, downed telephone lines and collapsed United Nations headquarters and word from her fiancee Michael Stewart. He is working at the trauma center.

Hundreds have come to the center for care. Doctors and nurses worked on people on the pavement outside during the day and performed triage care by a headlamp at night, according to an email sent by Stewart.

"I am ok and working as fast as I can still running trauma center at night. we have about 150 (people). maybe 100 new. losing many to internal injuries that we cannot operate on," he wrote.

Emergency relief buckets containing fortified dried food supplies, matches, candles, antibacterial soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste, detergent and Aquatab water purification tablets have been the thrust of Hope for Haiti's response to the crisis, according to the organization.

"We're asking the public to support our efforts through prayers and financial assistance," JoAnne Kuehner said. "We need donations to help send medical supplies and medical personnel to Haiti."

For information about Hope for Haiti and its relief efforts, visit www.hopeforhaiti.com.

Copyright © 2010 The Hour Publishing Co. 01/16/2010