Haiti CRS Update

I received an update from Catholic Relief Services today on their efforts to aid the earthquake victims in Haiti:

Almost immediately following the earthquake, CRS began delivering lifesaving supplies, including food and water, to desperate survivors. The supplies were already in place in CRS' Port-au-Prince warehouse.

"We are fortunate to have had water in our warehouse," says Karel Zelenka, country representative for CRS Haiti. "We also trucked in family food kits from Les Cayes."

CRS has a staff of 313 on the ground, with more personnel arriving daily. CRS Haiti's headquarters building was damaged but did not collapse. Until its structural integrity is assured, aid workers are working and sleeping outside in tents or cars.

Additional food will arrive soon. "Fifteen hundred metric tons of wheat and oil will arrive in port shortly," says Schuyler Thorup, Regional Director for CRS Latin America. "We will distribute it immediately."

In the neighboring Dominican Republic, CRS is preparing food packages to feed 50,000 people. The packages are five-gallon buckets loaded with ready-to-eat foods that don’t need to be cooked. CRS is also readying water storage containers, water purification tablets, hygiene kits, cookware and plastic sheeting in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

If you are still looking for a way to help the relief efforts in Haiti, you can make an online donation at the Catholic Relief Services here.

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Haiti Tragedy - Please help!

I was participating in an all day meeting today when this news item came across:

The archbishop of Port-au-Prince was killed in the devastating earthquake that has demolished the Haitian capital and taken untold lives since striking Tuesday, according to a dispatch from the Vatican.

The body of Msgr. Joseph Serge Miot, 65, was found under the rubble of the archdiocese, and may be one of only hundreds of victims trapped in the ruins of Church buildings on the island.

I was struck that when a horrible tragedy like this occurs, it is often the clergy who coordinate efforts to help the citizens. Losing the servants of the people cannot be helpful and it doesn't sound good for those who would normally be a refuge for those in need.

Please help out any way you can. If you are looking for a way to help, one option is Catholic Relief Services. You can follow their blog and donate if you would like. And keep all of the people in Haiti in your prayers.

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