Friday, January 15, 2010

Help Haiti - earthquake victims need our help now

Incident map of Haiti http://haiti.ushahidi.com/main#
A 7.0 magnitude earthquake, the largest to hit Haiti in more than 200 years, rocked Port-au-Prince last night, destroying a hospital and sending houses tumbling into ravines.The quake was shallow, with a depth of 6.2 miles, and struck at 4.53pm local time with the epicentre 10 miles south-west of Port-au-Prince, according to the US Geological Survey. It was said to have lasted around a minute and was quickly followed by two strong aftershocks of 5.9 and 5.5 magnitude. "There must be thousands of people dead," Sara Fajardo, a spokeswoman for Catholic Relief Services, told the Los Angeles Times. International aid groups are planning a major disaster relief effort. The international Red Cross said up to 3 million people could be affected.The quake crumbled Haiti's presidential residence, the National Palace, but Haiti's ambassador to Mexico, Robert Manuel, said the president, Rene Preval, and his wife had survived. He had no details. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said the quake seriously damaged its 60-bed trauma centre hospital, one of the only free-of-charge surgical facilities in Port-au-Prince.
International charities are appealing for donations to help Haiti. Here are some of the ways you can help:
BBC list of international agencies
American Redcross.org/donations




Make a donation:

Posted by Cookiemouse at 10:26 AM

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