The university is offering assistance to those in the GW community affected by Hurricane Matthew and coordinating efforts to help bring relief to victims in Haiti.
After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti that left more than 300,000 people dead, GW responded in a variety of ways, including direct outreach to Haiti’s then-First Lady and GWSB alumna Elisabeth Delatour Préval. In the year after the earthquake, Ms. Préval attended two symposiums the university hosted on reconstruction.
The university also sent emergency medical and nursing personnel to Haiti, and GW students raised more than $9,000 for disaster relief and organized a candlelight vigil and letter-writing event.
“The hurricane has further and tragically complicated the country’s ongoing recovery efforts from the catastrophic 2010 earthquake,” said George Washington President Steven Knapp, who has asked Doug Shaw, senior associate provost for international strategy, to lead the university’s relief efforts. “In 2010, our community responded to the disaster in Haiti with a multi-pronged approach to offering humanitarian aid. Our collaboration has been ongoing, and Dr. Shaw will ensure that, once again, the university's response is appropriate and effective.”
In Haiti, the death toll from the hurricane has reached nearly 900, and an estimated 500,000 Haitians remain stranded in the south of the country. Cholera has started to break out in devastated coastal areas.
"Many academic leaders, faculty experts, and other members of the GW community have already expressed their eagerness to help respond to the emergency in Haiti; GW has world-class expertise and a unique platform to help focus global attention on the recovery effort,” said Dr. Shaw.
GW students affected by hurricane can contact the Division of Student Affairs at [email protected]. Those wanting to support relief efforts in Haiti should email [email protected].