Days after the tragic earthquakes in Haiti, survivors are still feeling the results of the massive destruction. Reports of people killed in the earthquake range from 10,000 to over 100,000. Gangs are roaming the streets with machetes and the supply of food and water is dwindling.
Organizations around the world have rallied to provide food, medical supplies, water, toiletries and many other types of disaster relief supplies. Companies of all sizes throughout the world have setup fundraisers for the people of Haiti. Even American Express and Visa have dropped transaction fees on all donations to Haiti.
Many people around the world have been affected by one of the most tragic earthquakes in decades. An agent from goAUPAIR’s recently contracted Au Pair agency in Haiti was in Port-au-Prince at the time of the earthquake. Through email communication Ms. Kelly recounted the terrifying experience. "The building I was in capsized but I escaped with minor injuries. As you would well imagine some of the people that I was associated with are dead and others feared dead. Many people are homeless and others are badly hurt. The city of Port au Prince is devastated but the people have a burning hope within them, their resilience overwhelms me."
Kelly also said, "The Haitian people were truly appreciative of the effort being made. It is my determination to continue my work in helping Haitians, please keep those opportunities available through your organization open to be accessed by the Haitians."
The U.S. Department of State announced the passing of Victoria DeLong, a Foreign Service Officer serving in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed her condolences to DeLong’s family and commended the efforts of the State Department officials and other American citizens currently serving in Haiti “in its hour of need."
"This morning I spoke with the family of Victoria DeLong, the Cultural Affairs Officer at our Embassy in Port-Au-Prince who lost her life in the earthquake. I expressed my sincerest condolences on behalf of the men and women of the State Department and the American people. So many have lost their lives in this tragedy. The United Nations has suffered grievous losses. And the Haitian people have endured unimaginable heartbreak. For the State Department, we have lost one of our own.
Victoria was a veteran Foreign Service Officer who worked tirelessly to build bridges of understanding and respect between the people of the United States and the people of Haiti. She served her country with distinction and honor, and she will be sorely missed."
Also on Friday, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced the department designating a temporary protected status for Haitian nationals who were in the United States before earthquake.
"This is a disaster of historic proportions and this designation will allow eligible Haitian nationals in the United States to continue living and working in our country for the next 18 months," she said.
Search giant Google, released images of its Google images “satellite view’ of the city of Port-au-Prince before and after the earthquake showing incredible destruction.
Emergency aid is arriving daily; however, one of the biggest problems with providing relief is the partially destroyed Port-au-Prince airport. Crews are working day and night to properly distribute emergency supplies in a safe and efficient manner. “Safe” is one of the keywords as many fear survivors will turn to violence in attempts to find food and water.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said, "Other than some scavenging and minor looting, our understanding is the security situation is pretty good."
"The key is to get the food and the water in there as quickly as possible so that people don't, in their desperation, turn to violence or lead to the security situation deteriorating."
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