The Haiti search and rescue effort is historic and heroic by any measure. More live rescues over more days were achieved in the 2010 Haiti effort than ever before. I was lucky enough to have been able to provide some of the local support that helped make the difference.
The first international responders to any earthquake are search-and-rescue (SAR) teams that deploy from around the world to any nation within hours. These teams of highly trained rescuers extract survivors from collapsed structures, knowing that every minute counts. SAR teams rely heavily on local support, and in the case of America's two internationally certified teams from Los Angeles and Fairfax, Va., on U.S. government funding provided through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
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