American Music Therapy Association, Inc.
8455 Colesville Road, Suite 1000
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, USA
Phone: (301) 589-3300
Fax: (301) 589-5175
E-mail: info@musictherapy.org

Emergency Response and Relief Efforts
 

If you are living in any of the areas declared a disaster by the Governor, you should consider registering with FEMA sooner rather than later. You can do that online at FEMA.gov. If you sustained losses, you should document the losses/damage multiple ways - with photos and in writing. If the Red Cross has damage assessment teams in the area, it may be helpful to have them conduct a damage assessment at your home or business. If you run a business out of your home, e.g. see clients, record music, etc. and that business is lost or interrupted ask Red Cross Disaster Services about 'opening a case' for you. This may add to the documentation in any FEMA claim.

Assistance: More information on flood recovery and assistance may be found at the Red Cross website http://www.redcross.org/ 

Mold & Mildew: If you suspect mold and mildew has invaded your property, see the FEMA guidance at:

http://www.fema.gov/pdf/rebuild/recover/fema_mold_brochure_english.pdf

Psychological First Aid: As you move forward in your respective music therapy practices you may find it helpful to review general information on Psychological First Aid at http://learn.nctsn.org/

The American Music Therapy Association wishes to extend our prayers and well wishes to the people of Haiti at this time. We also wish to let our colleagues and members with ties to Haiti know that we support you in these anxious and trying times following the earthquake.

The devastation of this event is huge, affecting the emergency response logistics. Naturally, at this time, the priority is on search and rescue and basic needs of medicine, shelter, food and drinking water. You can help most by offering your monetary donations to one or more of the many charitable organizations on the ground in Haiti and connected to the wider emergency operations coordinated by the Government of Haiti, the UN, other governments, and humanitarian military missions.

We encourage members to consider supporting the various emergency relief efforts currently underway; and, if you choose to make a donation we suggest you review the organizations through Charity Navigator http://www.charitynavigator.org/ or similar.

AMTA’s disaster response coordinator is actively involved in coordination and planning of several response activities geared for the recovery period -- after the immediate response efforts and when essential resources stabilize in Haiti.

According to AMTA’s coordinator, Barb Else, here is what you can do right now to help:

1. Work in your local community/region with your colleagues and music therapy students to assess the needs of Haitians and Haitian-Americans living in your area who may be experiencing loss, anxiety, uncertainty, or stress reactions.

2. Once the needs are known, it is helpful to track music therapy activities going on around the country. So, please email Barb Else or info@musictherapy.org, subject line: Haiti Response with a brief summary of your music therapy  activity and your location.

3. Notify Barb Else or call AMTA if you have been affected by the earthquake and have family, friends or relations in the earthquake zone. We wish to maintain a personal contact with you at this difficult time.

4. Notify Barb Else or info@musictherapy.org, subject line: Haiti Contact, if you have a direct contact with a relief organization working in Haiti at this time. We are considering a partner program to efficiently offer music therapy disaster relief services once the immediate search and rescue phase stabilizes. We are also keeping in close contact with the World Federation of Music Therapy in order to coordinate a unified response from the music therapy community.

5. Consider local and/or regional fund raising activities so that AMTA may build a dedicated central fund for Haiti response and relief services and needs. We plan to coordinate this effort and any future donations of services or materials with our friends in the vendor community and elsewhere.

6. The American Red Cross and the State Department set up a number to quickly channel relief contributions directly to first responders who will be on the ground there.  If you are inside the U.S., you can text the word “HAITI” to “90999” on your mobile phone to donate $10 to the Red Cross.  You can also make a donation by calling 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish) or go to the Red Cross website and click on the Donate Now button.

7. Finally, notify Barb Else or info@musictherapy.org, subject line: Haiti Participation, if you wish to participate in and be networked to relief activities as they unfold. It is helpful to know if your ability to participate is limited to local/regional work and/or if you are able to travel. It is also helpful to know, briefly, your disaster response training and any experience.

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