Of course the major news sources are reporting heavily. Also, The Haitian Blogger, www.haitifeed.com, www.npr.org, haiti is currently the top "trending topic" on twitter. The state department has set up a toll free number for obtaining information on family members and friends in Haiti 1-888-407-4747. The Washington Post collected links to international organizations who are collecting immediate relief funds; follow this link. You can also text HAITI to 90999 to instantly donate $10 to the Haitian Red Cross; or text YELE to 501501 to instantly donate $5 to Wyclef Jean's relief efforts. UNICEF, Red Cross, and Doctors Without Borders are all seeking immediate funds. We would like to coordinate our efforts through the Episcopal Church in our local diocese (West TN). We will be posting more information about those efforts when we can. Use whatever resources for information you can find and please post information you find and your own comments to this post by clicking on "Add your own +". Our prayers are with the Haitian people and especially the children of St. Vincent's School.
Stephen Nelson
Roman Catholic "Port-au-Prince Cathedral" Collapsed:
ReplyDeleteI just saw a video clip of the catholic cathedral in downtown port-au-prince. I had read from multiple sources that a cathedral had collapsed. The only part still standing appeared to be the large rose window and the facade. see the photo here: http://twitpic.com/xvz55
I just found a direct quote from Serena Beeks on Facebook:
ReplyDelete"St. Vincent's School for the Handicapped (Deaf, blind, and orthopedically handicapped) - the only school of this kind in Haiti, St. Vincent's is located two blocks from the National Palace, which has been destroyed, and three blocks from the Catholic Cathedral, also reported destroyed."
It may be that the report I quoted on the Episcopal Church website misinterpreted these comments. Beeks says that the Palace was destroyed, and that the school is nearby. Damage to the school is not described. While it is almos certain the school was damaged, it is still unclear how much damage it sustained.
Facebook source: www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=401117190289