Haiti

I tried to post something last week on Haiti, but despite having everything typed and ready to go, I just could not publish it for some reason. Now a week after the devastating earthquake I have decided to re-write the post and actually publish it.

I was at the gym last Tuesday when the earthquake struck and thanks to the power of Social Media (Twitter to be exact) I read that an earthquake had struck Haiti and the city was in ruins. Sadly, my first thought, was "I hope Labadee is okay" (Royal Caribbean's private beach, it was beautiful when I was there a few years ago and now I am happy to say they are using their resources to help the people in Haiti with food, water and other supplies). That thought was of course before I saw pictures of the devastation or heard death toll estimates. Once I got home and saw the pictures my heart broke, what could I do to help? What would relief organizations be doing to help? How would supplies get into a country in ruins?

Although there were some initial problems with infrastructure, it now seems that the US Military, the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, World Vision and others are making great strides and getting at least some help to the most vulnerable. The US Military's "USNS Comfort" is now off the coast of Haiti and will be the country's largest hospital for a little while, World Vision is getting supplies FedEx'd to Haiti and using their existing network of staff and supplies to help even more people. Doctors are making life and death decisions daily, Anderson Cooper is saving little kids from street fights and so much more.

How can you help? How have you already helped? Well more than $22 million has already been donated to the Red Cross through text messages, millions more has been given online to so many other organizations. I have donated to both the Red Cross and World Vision through it's partnership with the Bayside family of churches. Google even got in on the action developing a Crisis Response page with ways to donate, a people finder and imagery.

So if you have not done so already, make a donation to a trusted organization, say a prayer and remember this tragedy will be with us long after the news crews leave over the next few days and weeks. If you're wondering what might not help, read more here.