It has been two years since the devastating Haiti earthquake. This video from Direct Relief International thanks FedEx for our involvement in relief efforts. Direct Relief International's response after the Haiti quake has been the largest disaster relief effort in their 64-year history, and we were proud to work with them in this worthy endeavor.

4:45a.m. was an early start, but I had no problem jumping out of bed as I was motivated by the prospect of traveling to Haiti to see firsthand the status of recovery efforts in the earthquake-decimated city of Port au Prince. The trip was organized by the U.S. Chamber Business Civic Leadership Center; CHF, a non-governmental organization (NGO), and Executives Without Borders.

While the world is still grappling with the pressing need to save lives in the aftermath of one of the worst natural disasters to hit the Western hemisphere, it is also confronted with the challenge of rebuilding Haiti into a prosperous nation with a sustainable economy.  From the ashes and devastation may come Haiti’s greatest opportunity to construct a solid and stable country that can actively participate in and contribute to the world economy.

So it’s Monday afternoon and I’m sitting here tearing up at work. As we continue with our Haiti relief efforts, we always keep our senior management team in the loop. What so moved me this afternoon is that, once again, within minutes of sending out our latest update we received notes of encouraging support from our officers. As their responses came in, once again – almost immediately, tears of appreciation just welled up and filled my eyes.

The first FedEx Express direct flight to Haiti departs from Miami International Airport with food and water for the Haiti Earthquake victims. The FedEx Express Boeing freighter will deliver up to 40,000 pounds of relief supplies donated by local, Florida nonprofit organizations. Juan Cento, FedEx Express President, Latin America and Caribbean Division will be on-site for media interviews. The flight left on Sunday, January 17, 2010 at approximately 9:30am EST from the FedEx Express Gateway Hub.