Need your help, not your money... Please>>>

[JohnEaton]

The Rotary Club of Shelton working with Shelton Health and Rehab have donated/acquired seventy six long term convalescent hospital beds for the relief effort in Haiti.

The beds are pictured here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...6&l=bafe5e1a71

Replacement Cost new for 76 beds = +$100K USD, I'd guess as used but excellent condition the value of these beds to be +$50K USD.

Here's the problem: The Air Force is swamped, the Red Cross does not want the hospital beds, World Vision will only take the beds if they are new.

Working with several volunteers we can truck these to Ft Lauderdale, Louisiana or Texas for oversea shipping... A truck driver has donated his time, our club will cover all fuel costs and I am certain I can find a truck and trailer owner that will donate the use of his equipment.

I have yet to find a shipper that would take these from any of the above ports and transport to Haiti or Puerto Rico as a donation or simply for fuel cost.

Yes, I understand that sanitizing and fumigating is required.. What I am looking at primarily is the oversea shipping. Weight is approx 23,000 pounds and volume is approx 3200 cubic feet.

I also am aware that the port facilities in Haiti have been destroyed and most infrastructure is down. As these are long term care beds there will be need for them even two or three months from now, I could store these beds and ship later.

Anyone have any ideas? I know there are several boat owners on this forum that play in the Caribbean, any takers if I can come up with fuel costs? And any ideas of what the fuel costs round trip to Haiti from Ft Laud / Miami area in a boat large enough to safely carry these beds?

Thanks for your time and input

[toph]

good luck for a valuable cause. good on you ,mate!!

[Idle Swede]

John, I'll talk to my freight forwarder in Port Everglades, maybe he has some ideas.

I do large volume shipping with them.

Unfortunately Monday being a holiday I can't do it until Tuesday morning.

[JohnEaton]

Thanks Leo, the sooner the better, Tuesday will work but I have to report to my board at 5:45PM PST Tuesday.

FYI: the Port au Prince area cannot do bulk offload at this time.

[lavaman]

I just heard that the USS Carl Vinson (aircraft carrier) is going to serve as a floating dock for helicopters.

Possible they can be packed and airlifted off?

Also: Contact Dr's Without Borders?


Aside, I just put out a general broadcast regarding your request on my Facebook network. What the heck, might work (former classmate of mine going to Haiti this week).

[figbo]

John,Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines is sending ships to Haiti ,try contacting them.The Independence of the seas is going either today or tomorrow and another ship is going either sunday or monday.
You're the MAN,John!

[JohnEaton]

Thanks for the ideas guys

Hope to see some of you two weeks from today.

I'm turning in for the night.

[JohnEaton]

With the help of two volunteers from Mason 4 we partially disassembled and loaded 31 long term convalescent care hospital beds in a U haul today for transfer to short term storage.

I have multiple pledges already to help out with travel expenses. U haul gave me a $100 price break on the truck and I personally am paying for the remainder. The President of the Fort Lauderdale club called today and is very enthusiastic and is now requesting the other surrounding South Florida clubs to help on this project and want us to give an update on the project while we are there next week... BUT

That's not the fantastic part; whats fantastic is that we've got access to another 600 beds, right six hundred, so almost 700 total long term convalescent care hospital beds, and 400 mattresses. I've contacted my District Governor as this is large enough to be a district wide project and should be, as the beds are scattered across Washington state, in my mind I see a convoy of trucks with "Rotary helping hands" emblems on the trailers already traveling across our Nation and finally on a ship to Haiti.

We will need someone that can donate the use of SeaLand shipping containers, I will start work on that in the morning; if you have a suggestion please contact me ASAP. And Leo please sweet talk your bulk shipper tomorrow.

I just had a suggestion to use rail freight to ship to Florida instead of semi tractors, flatbeds and SeaLand containers. Pros / Cons????? I've never done bulk ship like this before. The beds are much lighter than I thought I'd guess around 85,000 pounds and 30,000 cubic feet for 676 hospital beds, sorry I don't know for 400 to 700 mattresses yet.

Will keep you updated.

[Idle Swede]

I will call him first thing in the morning.

[Idle Swede]

John,

Here's the situation.

The ports are damaged and they are not letting any cargo ships in, only vessels allowed for the moment are Navy ships.
Ports of jacksonville, Brunswick, Ft.Lauderdale, Miami are full of goods waiting to be shipped and they're having a big problem.

Port authoritys are well aware of the situation and they are having a meeting this afternoon to try to come up with a solution.

My freight forwarder is going to call me after the meeting to let me know what the status is.

Sorry Pal, best I can do for now.

[JohnEaton]

Thanks for everything Leo

Re: damaged port I was told the same thing and have shifted to at least 90 days out.

Everything is changing by the hour, have 765 beds lined up right now and that is just from one contractor on just the West Coast. I spoke with a past assistant district governor last night who was involved in the Latvia project (which donated an entire hospital) he told me it was possible to do just such a thing here too; that perhaps these 700 beds would be the spark that ignites Rotary to such a project again. I can only hope.

Anyway today was a fantastic day. The Port of Shelton gave us free storage for the hospital beds and we have transported most of the 76 local beds already, funding pledges are coming in. This project is a go here, now just to work a schedule out with Pt Everglades and Rotary District 6990 (Southeast Florida and Grand Bahama Island.)

[diversified]

John just have to say this is one hell of a thing your doing. Hats off to you! I originally tried to get to the GTG in Florida, can't because of business, would have liked to shake your hand. Best of Luck!

[Idle Swede]

Originally Posted by JohnEaton

Thanks for everything Leo

Re: damaged port I was told the same thing and have shifted to at least 90 days out.

Everything is changing by the hour, have 765 beds lined up right now and that is just from one contractor on just the West Coast. I spoke with a past assistant district governor last night who was involved in the Latvia project (which donated an entire hospital) he told me it was possible to do just such a thing here too; that perhaps these 700 beds would be the spark that ignites Rotary to such a project again. I can only hope.

Anyway today was a fantastic day. The Port of Shelton gave us free storage for the hospital beds and we have transported most of the 76 local beds already, funding pledges are coming in. This project is a go here, now just to work a schedule out with Pt Everglades and Rotary District 6990 (Southeast Florida and Grand Bahama Island.)

E-mail sent John.

[JohnEaton]

Today's paper

[figbo]

John,you're THE MAN!

[JohnEaton]

I urgently need an Autoclave and a Dermatome for Dick McCombe, past district governor and Haiti liaison chair for the Haiti Relief effort. The Autoclave is the tool sterilization piece of equipment, and the Dermatome is used to lift the skin for the skin grafting. Can anyone help with this?

Contact me at RotarianJohn(at)gmail(dot)com

The closer you are to Florida or an Air Force base the better.