Baptism by fire for new CARE leader

Communications were severed with CARE’s offices in Port-au-Prince. As the Atlanta headquarters struggled to make contact, Gazashvili assembled an international team, spoke with donors and found space on a Delta flight into the neighboring Dominican Republic. Gazashvili and others were set to arrive in Haiti today.

Tens of thousands were feared dead in the earthquake-devastated country, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

Thursday afternoon, about two dozen business, civic and political leaders gathered at CARE headquarters to urge Atlantans to donate money for earthquake relief efforts.

CARE has set up a Web site called www.atlantacares.org for donations. CARE officials estimate they’ll need about $10 million to pay for its humanitarian efforts and for food, hygiene kits and water purification tablets.

The Atlanta-based organization will work alongside WorldVision, Save the Children, Mercy Corps, the Red Cross and others in an effort coordinated by the United Nations.

Already, CARE has about 130 staff working in Haiti. Early reports indicated the Haiti office had survived the 7.0 earthquake and still had electricity. But plenty of logistical challenges lay ahead, chief among them communication.

A CARE tech expert anticipated that cell phones probably would be useless once workers arrived in Port-Au-Prince because of damage to cell towers and “saturated” cell frequencies unable to handle millions of calls at once.

The organization’s trip to Haiti would be one of assessment, Gazashvili said. “When we get there, we will see the gaps that are there and see what’s needed.”

CARE will spend at least $700,000 in the next 10 days, he said, shipping in medicine, water, water purifiers, food and shelter.

These correspond to the immediate needs of a catastrophe, said Giron: “Save my life, then please feed me and give me a roof.”

But that money is just the ante — the start of an operation that will last for years, CARE officials said. How much could CARE end up spending? “There is never enough money,” said Giron.

CARE has been working in Haiti since Hurricane Hazel in 1954, offering both disaster services (after the recurring cyclones) and development programs, including efforts to improve sanitation, health education, water resources and agriculture.

The organization’s resources come from individuals, government grants and blue-chip corporations. As he readied for his trip, Gazashvili answered a call from a representative of Goldman Sachs, asking how much was needed and offering a donation.

Though Gazashvili, 45, had no visa for the Dominican Republic, he was told it wouldn’t be necessary. Otherwise, he is, by nature, prepared. His travel bag is always packed.

In his luggage — one carry-on bag — is a sleeping bag, a pad, two pairs of New Balance sneakers, work clothes, water purifiers, a raincoat, medicines, candles, a flashlight, extra batteries and a phone charger, plus an extra hard drive loaded with “Ice Age” and “Night at the Museum.”

His cell phone/microcomputer also has eight gigs of music, including tunes by Tupac, Shaggy, Beatles, Bob Marley and some traditional Georgian music. “It helps you sleep when you are too agitated.”

Gazashvili doesn’t appear easily agitated. His demeanor is a Special Forces kind of calm, his hair clipped to a quarter-inch of gray stubble, his cheekbones as sharp as Caucasus granite.

He served as deputy director of emergency assistance, including a stint in Sri Lanka during the civil war there.

“We have 30 to 40 emergencies a year, but this is a big one,” said Giron. “The tsunami [of 2004] happened in six countries. This happened in one.”

Eric Stirgus contributed to this story.