Help Haiti NOW! Text 90999 And Message The Word HAITI!

January 19, 2010 by Jim Walberg · Leave a Comment

The capital city of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, and surrounding communities are almost gone. Last Tuesday, most of the structures were erased because of the 7.3-magnitude earthquake. Tens of thousands have died and millions are fighting for their lives. The human suffering is beyond anything we could imagine. My friend, Gov. John deJongh, Jr., of the U.S. Virgin Islands said “Eyewitness accounts of the quake indicate the worst catastrophic event in modern history.” The Hospitals, schools, the government buildings, stores and most buildings in the capital city and surrounding communities have collapsed. There are no services available and the dead are being left where they lay as they await trucks and tractors to take them to mass graves that are being dug 24 hours a day. It is unimaginable for me to think of how the poorest nation in the Caribbean can deal with such devastation, or how any of us would manage through this catastrophe if it ever hits the Bay Area again. To help the world grasp the scope of the destruction, Google Earth has added a fresh layer of satellite imagery of Haiti taken Wednesday morning, allowing before-and-after comparisons of the landscape. It’s available for viewing on Google’s special crisis response page.

Our State Department has set up a method for each of us to do our part by texting the number 90999 and put in the message the word Haiti. That small act of compassion will immediately send $10 to the Red Cross – 100% of it will get to the Red Cross. Please take a moment and do this NOW! You will then get a text back from the Red Cross thanking you for your contribution. Again, please do this NOW. The monetary donations will be used to purchase emergency relief supplies and equipment that will be delivered to the local people and their economy. As of today there has been close to $20 million raised with just $10 at a time from around the country. (Your cell phone providers are waiving any text messaging fees so you can help today.) The East Bay real estate community has also mobilized with the collection of funds, goods and services. It has been very inspiring as to how our community has mobilized in actions that are serving this unimaginable disaster.

Every service imaginable is being addressed by the disaster-management teams that have been arriving from around the world. Field hospitals have been set up in the middle of streets. The airport is being managed by the U.S. Air Force air traffic controllers from a truck. The airport is clogged with relief goods while attempting to get them to those in need through a maze of roads that have been destroyed. All of the work is being done to deliver what is needed to the primary relief areas, where food, water, temporary shelter and emotional support is being provided in a war zone environment.

In addition, Catholic Charities, Catholic Relief Services, Red Cross, C.A.R.E. and Rotary International have all provided relief. “Rotary is working on an efficient way for people to make donations, which we hope to unveil in the next 24 hours,” said Roger White, who is part of Rotary International’s District 7020 Haiti task force. “We are looking to find out what the priority of needs is and looking at logistics,” said David Edgecombe, special assistant to the USVI governor for external affairs. “We want to avoid getting relief items and then have no way of getting them there without knowing the best routing. The needs are clearly great … it is going to take a little while for us to get the lines of communication open and accurate data as to how best to get goods to people in Haiti.” “The Red Cross is specifically telling those who want to help to send money at this time,” Edgecombe said.