Haiti Aftershock

As the death toll continues to rise in Haiti — at last report up to 200,000 — the bad news seems to pile onto the nation, which shares Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. News sources report that a 6.1 magnitude aftershock hit the battered nation this morning around 6 a.m., but it was centered about 35 miles northwest of Port-au-Prince and 6.2 miles below the surface, further from the capital than last week's devastating quake. There's no news yet as to further casualties, but the nation still needs donations – the American Red Cross and Unicef are good places to start.

Haiti Aftershock

Red Cross Fundraising Campaign for Haiti

Word travels fast these days, so you may already know about the new fundraising campaign initiated by the American Red Cross in the wake of the Haitian earthquake. The effort has quickly gone viral via text and social media outlets, but in case you haven't heard, here's the scoop: Just text "Haiti" to 90999 and your donation of $10 will automatically be added to your next cell phone bill. As of this afternoon, the popular social media site Mashable just confirmed that the Red Cross has already raised over $4 million through this campaign! 100% of your donation will benefit Haiti relief efforts.

Red Cross Fundraising Campaign for Haiti

Help For Haiti

Our thoughts are with the people of Haiti and residents of the earthquake-ravaged capital of Port-au-Prince.

Concerned friends and family of those in Haiti may call 888-407-4747.

If you would like to make a donation to UNICEF's relief efforts, please go to unicefusa.org/haitiquake or call 800-367-5437.

Help For Haiti

The Haitian Earthquake: How You Can Help

The nation of Haiti, which shares the idyllic island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, isn't on the radar for many American vacationers. But as this impoverished country faces the devastation wrought by a magnitude-7.0 earthquake — the worst to hit the island in 200 years — some 1.8 million people who live in and around the capital city of Port-au-Prince need our help.

To that end, we've gathered just a few of the organizations accepting monetary donations for the Haitian relief effort. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it's a good place to start:

* Providing food, medical supplies, and technical assistance, the American Red Cross is taking donations through its International Response Fund.

* Helping children in quake-affected areas, UNICEF has set up a Haitian relief fund.

* Working to deliver clean water, shelter and sanitation, Oxfam is appealing for donations through its Haitian Earthquake Relief Fund.

Thanks to The Huffington Post, which is collecting an exhaustive list of links to relief agencies and organizations.

Seeing the people of Haiti in peril — men, women and children — reminds us that our love for the Caribbean region is about more than rum bars and sensational beaches, posh resorts and coral reefs. It's about the people.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Haiti.






Flickr photo by audra k., used under the creative commons license.

The Haitian Earthquake: How You Can Help