Because a viable postal sector is critical to any nation's economic stability, Chief Postal Inspector William R. Gilligan, Jr. is sending U.S. Postal Inspectors to Haiti to conduct security assessments and help prepare for the restoration of mail service to the earthquake-ravaged country.

"Members of the Universal Postal Union all are playing a role in rebuilding the Haitian Postal System," says Chief Gilligan, who also serves as chairman of the Universal Postal Union's Postal Security Action Group. "It is tremendous to see the world community come together and respond to the crisis in Haiti. We are proud to stand with our domestic and international partners to do our part to help rebuild the Haitian Postal System."

To support recovery efforts and help address the immediate needs of the Haitian people, the U.S. Postal Service already has shipped 17 pallets of water and is currently securing much-needed medical supplies. Additionally, the Postal Service has prepared two large trucks, generators, mail-sorting cases, and mobile post offices for deployment to Haiti, with additional equipment to be identified and shipped following the Postal Inspectors' on-the-ground assessments in Haiti.

Postal Inspectors know very well what it is like to assist in disaster recovery and provide security for postal operations as communities rebuild. Each year Postal Inspectors help the U.S. Postal Service restore operations after hurricanes, wildfires, tornados, and other natural disasters that wreak havoc in various parts of the United States.

The experienced team of Postal Inspectors slated to aid in the Haitian Postal System recovery have sharpened their skills in the aftermath of such large-scale disasters as Hurricane Katrina, one of the five deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States

The Inspection Service initiative to help re-establish postal services in Haiti requires close coordination with other key federal agencies and organizations, including the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and various components of the Department of Defense.

"These coordinated efforts will spur the Haitian economy and help restore the Haitian Postal System's ability to deliver care packages and medications to those in need and get messages of hope and inspiration to the Haitian people in a desperate time," says Chief Gilligan.