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as quick as mi is fi cuss dem, mi hafi give props when due..
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><span style="font-size: 14pt">Canadian donations to Haiti so massive they crash agency's web servers </span>
1 hour, 37 minutes ago
By Susanna Kelley, The Canadian Press
TORONTO - Millions of dollars were pouring in to Canadian aid agencies Thursday for disaster relief in earthquake-crushed Haiti - so much that their web servers teetered on the brink of collapse.
The overwhelming response prompted the Minister of National Revenue to advise Canadians to make sure they donate wisely.
"Canadians have opened their hearts and their wallets in the wake of the terrible tragedy in Haiti," said Jean-Pierre Blackburn.
"Sadly, there are some who would exploit the generosity of Canadians."
Blackburn suggested Canadians who wish to donate should check the Canada Revenue Agency website at www.cra.gc.ca for information on how to be an informed donor.
Kieran Green of the Humanitarian Coalition, which includes Care Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam Quebec and Save the Children, said the donations were "quite literally overwhelming."
"The company that does our online donations has said that they have already had a couple of servers go down from the volume of the response," Green said early Thursday.
"Our phone centres are telling us that the volume of calls is massive," he said.
The servers were soon back up and the coalition was pleading with Canadians to keep trying, because the agencies need the money to help people in the earthquake-shattered country.
Doctors without Borders reported the same massive response, with spokeswoman Avril Benoit tweeting that they were "white-knuckling it" as the agency's website "teeters from overload." The group said it had to hire outside help to keep the server from crashing.
World Vision, which launched social media campaigns on Facebook and Twitter, says the number of donations being made were 10 times the usual.
Canadian Red Cross spokeswoman Katie Kallio said the agency had collected $2.6 million as of early Thursday afternoon. About $1 million of that came in within the first 24 hours, she said.
"Canadians are always generous in times of disaster and they're certainly showing their care and compassion once again," Kallio said.
The Humanitarian Coalition said $340,000 has been donated in the same time period, but that number did not include separate donations to the coalition members.
The federal government said it will match any donations made to registered charitable groups for the Haitian disaster from Jan. 12 to Feb. 12, up to a maximum of $50 million.
However, the Red Cross spokeswoman Kallio said this was a major disaster and more money would be needed to help up to three million Haitians - a third of the country's population - affected by the earthquake.
"It's very important to note the needs on the ground right now are huge, and this outpouring of support will absolutely make a difference in the lives of survivors, but much more is needed," she said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade has compiled a guide designed to help the public avoid scams and ensure their donations are of maximum value.
It can be found online at international.gc.ca.
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<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><span style="font-size: 14pt">Canadian donations to Haiti so massive they crash agency's web servers </span>
1 hour, 37 minutes ago
By Susanna Kelley, The Canadian Press
TORONTO - Millions of dollars were pouring in to Canadian aid agencies Thursday for disaster relief in earthquake-crushed Haiti - so much that their web servers teetered on the brink of collapse.
The overwhelming response prompted the Minister of National Revenue to advise Canadians to make sure they donate wisely.
"Canadians have opened their hearts and their wallets in the wake of the terrible tragedy in Haiti," said Jean-Pierre Blackburn.
"Sadly, there are some who would exploit the generosity of Canadians."
Blackburn suggested Canadians who wish to donate should check the Canada Revenue Agency website at www.cra.gc.ca for information on how to be an informed donor.
Kieran Green of the Humanitarian Coalition, which includes Care Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam Quebec and Save the Children, said the donations were "quite literally overwhelming."
"The company that does our online donations has said that they have already had a couple of servers go down from the volume of the response," Green said early Thursday.
"Our phone centres are telling us that the volume of calls is massive," he said.
The servers were soon back up and the coalition was pleading with Canadians to keep trying, because the agencies need the money to help people in the earthquake-shattered country.
Doctors without Borders reported the same massive response, with spokeswoman Avril Benoit tweeting that they were "white-knuckling it" as the agency's website "teeters from overload." The group said it had to hire outside help to keep the server from crashing.
World Vision, which launched social media campaigns on Facebook and Twitter, says the number of donations being made were 10 times the usual.
Canadian Red Cross spokeswoman Katie Kallio said the agency had collected $2.6 million as of early Thursday afternoon. About $1 million of that came in within the first 24 hours, she said.
"Canadians are always generous in times of disaster and they're certainly showing their care and compassion once again," Kallio said.
The Humanitarian Coalition said $340,000 has been donated in the same time period, but that number did not include separate donations to the coalition members.
The federal government said it will match any donations made to registered charitable groups for the Haitian disaster from Jan. 12 to Feb. 12, up to a maximum of $50 million.
However, the Red Cross spokeswoman Kallio said this was a major disaster and more money would be needed to help up to three million Haitians - a third of the country's population - affected by the earthquake.
"It's very important to note the needs on the ground right now are huge, and this outpouring of support will absolutely make a difference in the lives of survivors, but much more is needed," she said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade has compiled a guide designed to help the public avoid scams and ensure their donations are of maximum value.
It can be found online at international.gc.ca.
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.. lets crash some more servers!
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