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- photos taken by Yves Montoban
The Salvation Army is rapidly mobilizing and responding to the devastating magnitude 7.0 earthquake that shook Haiti yesterday. To better understand the tragedy this country is facing, please take a moment to read the letter at the end of this post from Bob Poff, the Salvation Army’s Divisional Director of Disaster Services in Haiti, regarding his account when the earthquake hit.
With many people missing, injured, or killed, and much of Haiti’s infrastructure damaged, the Salvation Army needs your help to provide much needed aid.
The Salvation Army is accepting monetary donations to assist in the effort via:
• Online Credit Card Donations
• 1-800-SAL-ARMY
• postal mail at:
The Salvation Army World Service Office
International Disaster Relief Fund
PO Box 630728
Baltimore, MD 21263-0728
(*designate checks and money orders to ‘Haiti Earthquake’)
In order to keep you updated regarding the situation in Haiti and The Salvation Army’s aid efforts, we will update the blog regularly as new information comes in.
Devastation in Haiti
Words cannot begin to describe the devastation that has taken place in Port au Prince, Haiti.
I am the Director of Disaster Services for The Salvation Army in Haiti, and I am from the United States. My wife and I have been in PAP since April, and have fallen deeply in love with the country and its people.
When the earthquake struck, I was driving down the mountain from Petionville. Our truck was being tossed to and fro like a toy, and when it stopped, I looked out the windows to see buildings “pancaking” down, like I have never witnessed before. Traffic, of course, came to a stand-still, while thousands of people poured out into the streets, crying, carrying bloody bodies, looking for anyone who could help them. We piled as many bodies into the back of our truck, and took them down the hill with us, hoping to find medical attention. All of them were older, scared, bleeding, and terrified. It took about 2 hours to go less than 1 mile. Traffic was horrible, devastation was everywhere, and suffering humanity was front and center.
When we could drive no further, we left the truck parked on the side of the street, and walked the remaining 2 miles to get back to the Army compound. What I found was very sad! All of the security walls were down. The Children’s Home itself seems pretty intact, but our quarters, which is attached, are destroyed. Unliveable. The walls and ceiling are still standing – but so badly compromised that I wouldn’t even think of trying to stay there. All of the children, and hundreds of neighbors, are sleeping in our playground area tonight. Occasionally, there is another tremor – another reminder that we are not yet finished with this calamity. And when it comes, all of the people cry out and the children are terrified.
As I am sitting outside now, with most people trying to get a little sleep, I can hear the moans and crys of the neighbors. One of our staff went to a home in the neighborhood, to try to be of assistance to the woman who lived there. But she was too late.
The scene will be repeated over and over again. Tomorrow, we will begin the process of assessing damage, learning about casualties, and preparing for the future.
God bless Haiti.
Bob Poff
Divisional Director of Disaster Services in Haiti
The Salvation Army
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I am semi-retired nurse anesthetist willing to donate about 1-2 weeks end of Jan, 1st of Feb. Extensive experience: military, missions in Belize, Philippines. Do you know of agencies providing surgical relief services I could contact?
Thank you so much for this information. Many of us in Jamaica are so worried about what is happening in Jamaica. May God be with the rescuers right now and guide them to locate all the injured.
From what i understand all but one of the children in the Home were accounted for. Can you confirm that all the children have now been accounted for? Have all the officers been accounted for?
I posted a link to this page on my facebook and blog and challenge anyone else to do so too. I know there are folks out there who want to help and don’t know how. To the best of my knowledge Salvation Army has a great reputation and they will get my donation. Mary t
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by nursetim: Help in Haiti http://bit.ly/55HFCC #nurse #nursing…
[...] Salvation Army – Haiti Earthquake Relief [...]
another link for the nurse above:
RNRN–the Registered Nurse Response Network–is activating to go to Haiti and provide direct nursing care to those affected by this terrible tragedy.
As you can read about here: RNRN, a project of America’s union of nurses (NNU), was founded in the wake of the botched response to Katrina, and has sent all told hundreds and hundreds of nurses to the gulf states, areas affected by the Asian tsunami and areas affected by California wildfires.
We are issuing two urgent appeals:
to all RNs, please sign up to consider travelling to Haiti and volunterring. You can do so here: http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/ . Please spread the word around nurses!
to everyone else…please contribute to send a nurse to Haiti. All donations will directly go to securing air fare, travel costs, and medical supplies–there will be no overhead costs on any donations, since the union is organizing the administration. Link here: https://secure.ga1.org/...
[...] The Salvation Army [...]
Message to Bob Poff, in Haiti —
Bob — I just heard you on the MSNBC website talking to Matt Lauer. Having just returned from India as a worker for the Mennonites there (3 years), I understand your love for the people and the country of Haiti. I can’t imagine what you, your wife & the other workers are going through, but heard the emotion in your voice during, and know that it is sad, so difficult, scary and overwhelming. I want to thank you for the very difficult work you are doing on behalf of Christian brothers & sisters around the world, and to let you know that we will do what we can from this end… Tell the people there that we are praying for them and will do what we can to help from here. My husband spent time during college doing service & study in Haiti, so we have a special place in our hearts for the people there. Sent with many many prayers, Jill, from Midland, Michigan.
[...] The Salvation Army [...]
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Amanda Sena, sara belgium. sara belgium said: RT @BlakeRhodes Read bone-chilling account from on-scene #SalvationArmy director in #Haiti. http://ow.ly/W65V #earthquake [...]
[...] The Salvation Army [...]
Bob, please contact: Phone: 212-679-6800 NYC – Doctors Without Borders
http://doctorswithoutborders.org/work/field/?ref=main-menu
WORK IN THE FIELD
Anesthesiologists / Nurse-Anesthetists
MSF anesthesiologists/nurse-anesthetists often work with emergency teams to treat people wounded in conflict zones. At other times, they join teams that are providing longer-term surgical care to communities without access to functioning health care systems.
Basic diagnostic equipment and facilities needed to run an operating room will be limited: there may not even be an X-ray machine. MSF asks anesthesiologists/nurse-anesthetists to depart on very short notice to meet the needs of emergencies that require their skills. But MSF does offer anesthesiologists/nurse-anesthetists the option of shorter-than-usual assignments (generally lasting from 2 to 3 months or more). Responsibilities include general surgery, surgical-needs assessment, and training of local staff.
I grew up with a lot of Haitian descent people and have friends who are from Haiti. But I want to help by donating items and don’t know where to send them. I heard that UPS will ship at $50 or less once I called I was told to call the American Red Cross and they are only excepting financial donations. Please help me by letting me know where I could send items from the Tallahassee and Miami, Florida areas. Thanks!
Robert,
Dave & I continue to uplift you and the workers to our Father as you work this disaster. If we could we would join you there. We never thought that when you sang “To Be Used of God” when we were teens it would change so many lives and give such experiences as the disaster work you’ve been so good at. May He continue to walk each step with you as tough decisions need to be made.
My heart goes out to those who are in shock and in despair. I have posted the link of this page in my blog and in orkut community site. Prayers for Haitians and for the Salvation army relief workers in HAITI. A Edwin from KUWAIT
I went to the page for donating to SA Haiti relief, and it said that if I don’t see a padlock at either the top or bottom of the page, I shouldn’t give my Visa information. I didn’t see a padlock either place. Using IE8. help?
I’ve got some Haiti earthquake tragedy news to share. God, this has been a terrible disater. I’d been keeping an eye on what’s been going on because I had family there. Since the 13th, I’d been waiting to hear when the aid and relief I knew we could offer would be released and given to the Haitian community to treat the Haiti native people and tourists there. To keep other people informed because I was lacking a good source of information rather than the same videos of reporters and 30 second videos on CNN and my local news I built a website from the ground up for it and got it fully working yesterday. For more details on the tragedy please just follow the URL attached to my comment. This really has been a tragedy in Haiti and those that want or need to know more should check it out. I’ve listed some resources whereby people can donate as well. God bless and please keep the people in Haiti in your prayers and hope for their survival or do more than hope, help them.
Good point, many thanks for the post.