Crisis in Haiti: Hope in Midst of Despair
If you’ve had difficulty watching the stream of bleak images from Haiti interspersed with amazing stories of survival, you can only begin to imagine the scope and depth of the loss experienced by nearly three million people since a catastrophic earthquake ravaged the Caribbean nation last week.
More than eight days after the earthquake, rescue teams continue to search and find more individuals buried under the rubble, even as significant aftershocks continue to rock the impoverished nation. Considering that 90% of survivors in an earthquake are pulled from the ruins in the first 24 hours, the ongoing rescue is testament to the innate human spirit of survival, the passion and efforts of rescue crews, neighbors and volunteers, and the reality that in midst of devastation, miracles still occur.
Yet as survivors continue to erect tent communities throughout Port-au-Prince, Jacmel, and other parts of Haiti, the number of dead bodies recovered has already exceeded 70,000. The count is expected to rise to over 100,000, according to Haitian authorities.
Moreover, many of those who initially survived are still in jeopardy of dying due to complications from their injuries. The need for medical care, from treating fractures to conducting imputations and other surgeries, is staggering.
Added to this is the immensity of grief experienced by those who have lost loved ones, including parents who lost their children and children whose parents did not survive. Many children were still at school at the time of the disastrous quake. The number of orphans in the nation of nine million citizens prior to the quake was near 380,000. A considerable increase is expected.
For the majority of people, however, the scale of grief is exacerbated by the harsh reality of being unable to properly bury loved ones or even view their bodies before burial. Corpses continue to be disposed in mass graves dug by authorities to curb the outbreak of disease and contamination. The lack of proper identification will only mean that many individuals will never fully know the fate of their children, mother, father, brother, sister, or friend, further complicating their sense of loss.
Eight days after a quake of such cataclysmic proportion is perhaps too early to even begin exploring the possible long-term ramifications of what’s occurred in Haiti. Instead, energy must continue to be vested in aiding the over 1.5 million people in need of immediate food, water, adequate shelter and desperate medical care.
Because life matters, you and I must continue to do all we can in responding to Haiti's incredible crisis, allowing hope to survive in midst despair.
___________________________________________________________________
To donate and assist with the relief effort, please visit any of the following links:
American Red Cross
www.americanredcross.org or text "Haiti" to 90999 to donate $10
Catholic Relief Services
www.crs.org
Food For The Poor
www.foodforthepoor.org
Doctors Without Borders
www.doctorswithoutborders.org
Save The Children
www.savethechildren.org
The Salvation Army
www.salvationarmyusa.org
World Vision
www.worldvision.org
Yele Haiti
www.yele.org or text “YELE” to 501501 to donate $5
