Earthquake Update

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti at about 4:53 p.m. this Tuesday, as according to CBS, has left even the Haitian President without a home. President Rene Preval and his wife are reportedly in good condition despite the destruction of the presidential palace. The President of the Haitian Senate, Kelly Bastin was also trapped inside of the parliament. It is estimated that over 100,000 people have died due to this tragedy, and there still remains many unanswered questions due to the lines of communication still being down. Even those whose houses were spared by the earthquake have continued to sleep in the streets, for fear that their houses will collapse on them at night.

Even the UN is also devastated by this earthquake. The UN has provided a lot of assistance to the Haitian government, particularly through peacekeeping operations such as MINUSTAH and other plans for development and economic growth. Due to the earthquake, major setbacks have occurred.

Bill Clinton, who has recognized and supported International Action this past September, is calling for support by all UN agencies to give shelter, food, and water. UNICEF’s Veronique Taveau has even stated that ” (What) people need urgently, more than food, is water.”

Right now we are sharing all of our knowledge and information on the public water system in Port-au-Prince with the military task force and USAID joint team. After such a disaster, one of the priorities is to restore a public water system. Your help in raising funds for this effort is very much appreciated. After assessing the damage done to the public water tanks we put chlorinators on, we will plan a trip to provide a temporary water unit to give clean water.