Help Haiti

When I got to work this morning I started my normal routine.  I hung up my coat and hat, said my “Good mornings” to my coworkers, got my first cup of coffee, and then settled in to read my morning news and see what the blogosphere was up to.

I was horrified to see that Haiti had been hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami last night.  Haiti is an impoverished nation sharing half of the island of Hispañola with the Dominican Republic.  The nation constantly suffers from unstable government and dire economic conditions that leave a lot of its residents without access to many things that most of us take for granted, including regular access to clean water.

If you’d like to read a bit more about Haiti, I highly recommend taking a look at Seamus’ write-up that I came across this morning in my Google Reader.  Seamus visited Haiti and spent some time with Barbancourt and got a good feel for the country and its people.

Information about the earthquake and its effects is still coming in.  The death toll is still unknown, but a 7.3 earthquake happening within 10 miles of a major population center means that the news is not likely to be pleasant.  In the meantime, I’m encouraging everyone I know to give what you can to the Red Cross to help the people of Haiti.

• Money can be donated through the Red Cross’ International Response Fund.
• You can also donate $10 by texting “HAITI” to 90999
• In the UK you can donate via the phone 0845-053-5353 via the British Red Cross (thanks to AJ Johnstone for the info)
• In Canada you can donate via the Canadian Red Cross via their website.
• OxFam International is accepting donations all over the world (thanks to Marleigh for the link)
• UNICEF is also looking for help in aiding the people of Haiti

I’ve donated $10 to help the cause, and I’m hoping that my readers will also give what they can.  If you know of a worthwhile relief effort going on that I don’t have linked here, please mention it in the comments.