City of Evanston - Haiti Earthquake

Haiti Earthquake

Last week, a powerful earthquake crushed thousands of structures, from schools and homes to the National Palace and the U.N. peacekeeping headquarters. Untold numbers lost their lives and many are still trapped. The quake struck at 4:53 p.m., centered 10 miles (15 kilometers) west of Port-au-Prince at a depth of only 5 miles (8 kilometers), the U.S. Geological Survey said. USGS geophysicist Kristin Marano called it the strongest earthquake since 1770 in what is now Haiti.

The International Red Cross said a third of Haiti’s 9 million people may need emergency aid and that it would take a day or two for a clear picture of the damage to emerge. The quake was felt in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, and in eastern Cuba, but no major damage was reported in either place.

With electricity out in many places and phone service erratic, it was nearly impossible for Haitian or foreign officials to get full details of the devastation.

US State Department Hotline

The State Department Operations Center has set up the following number for Americans seeking information about family members in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747 (due to heavy volume, some callers may receive a recording). Our embassy is still in the early stages of contacting American Citizens through our Warden Network. Communications are very difficult within Haiti at this time.

Private Offers of Assistance for Haiti Relief Efforts

Area residents can assist in the Haitian earthquake relief efforts by making a donation to the Haitian Congress to Fortify Haiti, a local not-for-profit, either on-line, at Charter One Bank here in Evanston, or by mailing a donation to the Haitian Congress to Fortify Haiti at 1227 Dodge Ave., Evanston, IL 60202.

Additionally, anyone wishing to donate or provide assistance in Haiti is asked to contact the Center for International Disaster Information. The Center, operated under a grant from the United States Agency for International Development's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance and initial support from IBM, has become a valuable resource to the public, as well as US government agencies, foreign embassies and international corporations. CIDI has established a dedicated page to coordinate Haiti support at: http://www.cidi.org/incident/haiti-10a/

You can also text "HAITI" to "90999" and a donation of $10 will be given automatically to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts, charged to your cell phone bill. Or you can go online to organizations like the Red Cross and Mercy Corps to make a contribution to the disaster relief efforts.

Links

For information on family members in Haiti – US State Dept
US State Dept Haiti Page
Partners in Health
Doctors without Borders