Haitian authorities, which raised the death toll to 2200+, say at least 684,000 people or 40% of the population in the affected area need urgent humanitarian assistance. Preliminary damage assessments from Haiti’s Office of Civil Protection estimates 60,759 houses were completely destroyed and another 76,000 are badly damaged.
Working wells were destroyed and others cracked, so water for drinking and other uses remains urgent. In one area nearly 1,800 wells were cracked or destroyed and along one stretch of road you can drive for several miles and there is not one church, school or house left standing.
In one church near the epicenter, a Baptism service was being held when the quake hit, killing everyone inside and the largest hospital in the area, a two story, 42 bed government run facility, “pancaked”, burying the first floor, taking out the offices as well as maternity, pediatrics and operating rooms along with all the equipment.
*The information above was provided by Jacqueline Charles in the Miami Herald.
The terms used to describe this earthquake such as, remote, the south, and others give the impression it is just that area affected, and that isn’t the case. Haiti is just over 10,000 square miles, which sounds big, but consider that is about the size of one of our smaller states – Rhode Island. Or you can drive from St. Louis to Kansas City in around 4 hours. Imagine us having an earthquake of that magnitude in the middle of the state. It affects everyone to some degree, especially if you live in a dirt or concrete block house
Our villages are north of the main area so we aren’t directly affected, but we will be indirectly. If the 2010 earthquake can be used as a guide, people from this area and Port Au Prince will head north and away from affected areas. As with the 2010 quake, they head to villages where they know there are nutrition programs because they know no one will turn them away.
Since two of our programs have been affected this year, if you can help with this, please do. Thank you for those who have given or have pledged funds to help.
