O&P URGENT request- Another earthquake in El Salvador

O&P URGENT request- Another earthquake in El Salvador

Paul E. Prusakowski

2/14/2001

This was forwarded to me today by the Academy for repost to the list.

-Paul P.



Dear friends and colleagues,


Today at 8.25 AM exactly one month after the horrible earthquake that had
hit El Salvador on the 13.01.2001 (7.6 Richter scale), we had another
earthquake (6.3 Richter scale) shaking the country, leaving again thousands
of people without a home, hundreds injured and many killed.


We went immediately out to the worst hit areas around the town of San
Vicente, where in the local hospital within 30 Minutes around 500 people got
wounded.


Since the earthquake a month ago we are going out every day to help in the
efforts of reconstruction. In the first week we were mostly active by
supplying food, blankets and provisional housing, but rapidly we could see
the urgent need

in our specialty, which is the rehabilitation of disabled people with
Orthoses, Prostheses and all kind of orthopedic aids like wheelchairs,
crutches etc.


We are working since more than 7 years in El Salvador, where we support the
Orthopedic Laboratory of the National Rehabilitation

and since 1996 we support the University Don Bosco in the training of
Orthotists and Prosthesists from all over Latin America.


Now we have arrived at a point where we need urgently help from outside in
order to rehabilitate the many injured people of these recent earthquakes
and and to replace many of the prostheses, orthoses and other orthopedic
aids that have been destroyed in the course of the earthquake.


In this respect we would like to ask you to donate for the disabled people
in El Salvador components and other materials for the rehabilitation of the
affected people with O+P like the once listed below.

All parts can new or also used and we assure you that we will use them only
for the most needed people, free of any charges.


The company BECKER (thank you Rosie and Mr. Becker), has agreed to serve as
a collection center for the USA and we would like to ask you to send
anything you can spare or you don't use any more to the following address:


Collection Center-Earthquake El Salvador

BECKER Orthopedic Appliance Co.

Atn. Rosie Jovane C.

574 Robbins

Troy, MI 488083

USA


We would like to point out, that this donations can not be deducted from
your taxes, as we are not registered within the USA, we will however assure
you that all donations will be distributed in health centers all over the
country and especially in the worst hit rural areas.


All goods should be send to BECKER at the latest by the 15.03.2001. We will
arrange the transportation to El Salvador as soon as we have the first load
of goods ready to ship.


Following is a list of the most needed materials:


-Prosthetic components like feet, knee, alignment units and ankle parts

-Orthotic components like side bars, knee joint, ankle joints, hip joints

-Cervical collars and prefabricated trauma braces

-Wheelchairs

-Crutches

-Parts for upper extremity prostheses and orthoses

-Materials like thermoplastics, orthoplast

-Plaster bandages and elastic bandages

-Lumbar supports


I would like to thank you sincerely for having taken the time to read this
mail and for you support in this matter. Please help me to

distribute this mail by forwarding it to people in the field as I know only
a small number of people.


I will attach to this mail some pictures of the earthquake and two documents
about the same subject. We will keep you informed on

our efforts in El Salvador and are glad to answer any question in this
respect. Please visit also our web site:


www.ortotec.com


Once again thank you for your attention and

many greetings from El Salvador,


Heinz Trebbin

Coordinator Project ISRI-UDB-GTZ