Chile relief groups concerned with donor fatigue soon after Haiti earthquake

When the Haiti earthquake struck, visitors flooded Charity Navigator’s website for tips on where to send their donations.

This weekend, as the devastation in Chile splashed across television screens, the online traffic didn’t jump.

"We’re not seeing that this time," said Sandra Miniutti, the vice president of the Mahwah-based nonprofit agency, which evaluates charities. "We’ve begun to look at the issue of donor fatigue."

Coming so soon after the Haiti disaster, which killed more than 220,000 people, the Chile earthquake may struggle for its share of the limelight, raising concerns among aid groups that fewer wallets will open even as charities try to man relief efforts in both countries.

The extent of damage in Chile remains unclear. The death toll rose to 723, with 19 others missing, the National Emergency Office announced Monday, in a magnitude-8.8 quake that President Michelle Bachelet called "an emergency without parallel in Chile’s history."

But experts cautioned that Chile may not need as much help as Haiti. The level of destruction in the Caribbean nation was much more widespread and intense, and richer Chile has more resources to handle the disaster relief.

"They’re going to be totally different responses," said Saundra Schimmelpfennig, the director of Utah-based Charity Rater. "Chile had a lot fewer buildings, hospitals, government offices that were damaged."

Aid groups said they were ready to assist in Chile even as they maintain unprecedented efforts in Haiti.

"The system is designed for this kind of thing," said Ray Shepherd, chief executive officer for the American Red Cross of Northern New Jersey. "It’s rare that only one disaster happens at one time."

The biggest international aid organizations have learned the traumatic lessons of 2005, when a tsunami in the Indian Ocean, an earthquake in Pakistan and Hurricane Katrina stretched resources.

"We’re a lot better organized and prepared with our emergency response plan than we were five years ago," said Brian Sobelman of Save the Children. The organization has drawn staffers from the United Kingdom, Spain and Bolivia to assess the damage in Chile.

But fewer donations may arrive in a deep recession after Americans have already shelled out nearly $1 billion for Haiti, Miniutti said.

Weehawken resident Sarah Lillo is not deterred. The 25-year-old, whose mother-in-law runs the only Chilean restaurant in the state, said there are plans for a fundraiser there this weekend.

"I have family friends who got through by e-mail and said it felt like the end of the world to them," she said. "I cannot sit around and let this occur. I need to do something about this."


Source:nj.com