How to Help Haiti

[Last updated 4:58pm January 14]

HOW TO HELP:

Quick Donation:

• To donate $10 to the American Red Cross, text “HAITI” to 90999. It will ask you for a confirmation.
• To donate $5, text “YELE” to 501501. Yele Haiti was founded by Wyclef Jean, a native of Haiti.

For both organizations, the amount will be added to your next phone bill.

Visit the Red Cross website to donate more to the International Response Fund and see how to help.  To donate to a medical organization, try Partners in Health. According to the Times, it is now most likely the largest health NGO in Haiti, now that other organizations’ headquarters are damaged.

For a list of organizations in Haiti that are accepting donations, click HERE.

Every bit helps!

UPS and American Airlines are NOT shipping or flying anything or anyone for free.  They are both twitter hoaxes.

BACKGROUND:

It’s not that any place on Earth is prepared for natural disasters, but Haiti is really not prepared for natural disasters. Every year it gets pounded by a few hurricanes, and now this?

A 7.0 magnitude earthquake, the worst in over 200 years, hit about 10 miles southwest of its capital, Port-au-Prince, on Monday evening. When ABC News first reported it as breaking news, at least one hospital had already collapsed. It is now being reported that the majority of medical facilities have been damaged, if not ruined entirely.

I just took a French class about Haiti (French 60: French in the Community) last semester, and with the little knowledge I have about its environmental degradation (deforestation), economic situation (poor), government corruption (lots), and health concerns (clean water and doctor availability are both problems – now they’re HUGE problems), I knew this was going to be terrible when I first heard George Stephanopoulos announce the news. The New York Times has reported that there may be thousands dead. Aid organizations are trying to get in and evaluate the situation. As with most natural disasters, it’s not just a problem of how to help,  but also how to get the help there. Unfortunately, Haiti never had the infrastructure necessary for a quick response, and now whatever existing infrastructure is damaged or destroyed (ships can’t dock, planes can’t land).