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Haiti Earthquake Relief: How You Can Help
January 12th's devastating 7.0 earthquake has left the already impoverished country of Haiti in shambles. As of January 18, the death toll has been estimated at nearly 200,000. The devastation has caused the collapse of basic infrastructures like hospitals, schools, and roads. The International Red Cross has said that a third of Haiti's 9 million people may need emergency aid.
The first wave of international aid began to arrive on Thursday, January 14 with planes from China, France, and Spain carrying food, medical supplies, and relief workers. The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson arrived on January 15 with helicopters to help shuttle relief supplies. Other countries have pledged their support in other ways and are currently in Port-au-Prince or on the way.
Contributions are continuing to pour in at a rapid rate. As of January 18, The Red Cross's social network and texting campaign has raised more than $21 million with more than $210 million in total aid being raised from all major charities. Bowing to pressure, major credit card companies American Express, Visa, MasterCard and Discover all announced they would waive the interchange fee they normally charge when cardholders donate to Haitian earthquake relief efforts. In addition to fee waiving, the credit card companies said they will make substantial corporate donations.
The US has agreed to relax the adoption rules normally associated with Haitian adoptions allowing the process to speed up dramatically. On January 19, 53 Haitian orphans arrived at a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, airport and were taken to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, where they were greeted by adoptive parents.
Meanwhile, President Obama has pledged $100 million in relief aid. All major charitable organizations are stressing that they need continued financial support.
The January 22 "Hope for Haiti," all-star telethon for Haitian earthquake relief which was put together by George Clooney and featured performances by Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Hudson, and Wyclef Jean raised approximately $58 million.
The following is a list of charitable organizations you can contact to help:
American Red Cross or Text "HAITI" to "90999" to donate $10 to the Red Cross
Yele Haiti
The U.S. State Department Operations Center has set up a hotline for Americans seeking information about relatives in Haiti: (888) 407-4747.
Comments
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What the Haitian earthquake has brought to the place isn’t a thing that you just need to have payday loans to patch up the damage. Haitian earthquake relief is something that is kind of vital. I’m betting that this is going to be a bit on the cheesy side but I’m looking forward to when they debut the <a rev="vote for" title="We Are the World 2010? here to aid in Haiti disaster relief" href="http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/2010/02/02/we-are-the-world-2010-haiti/ ">We Are the World 2010</a> song. It can be for a good cause.
Posted by NaniroD, 4 February 2010.
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I believe that you can easily donate money by texting on your phone... I can't remember the number right now but you just send a text and they deduct $10 from your phone bill. It's a great way to help.
Posted by danness, 30 January 2010.
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Other ways you can help -- at my local gym (LA Fitness) they're doing a food and water drive for Haiti. I've also seen that some retailers will be donating a portion of sales this month to Haiti.
Posted by meliayates, 20 January 2010.
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Thanks for all the other organizations that will help Haiti. I've also posted on my blog about AmeriCares, based in Stamford, CT.
Posted by Moomettesgram, 17 January 2010.
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