Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Haitian Earthquake: One Week Later

The devastation caused by the Haitian earthquake of last week is still visible. In this photo, an Israeli team is searching the rubble for survivors in what remains of a reinforced concrete building:




The U.S. Military is providing humanitarian assistance:
"There is no 'easing' into the day here at the military encampment at the Port au Prince airport. Navy and Marine helos hit the deck here at 0630 sharp. There’s no snooze button on that alarm. You roll out of your cot, put the same uniform on that you’ve worn for the last 3 or 4 days. Does it stink? Who knows, everyone is in the same boat. This ain’t no formal dinner. These are bare base operations. Our focus is mission. Our mission is saving lives." — Chief Master Sergeant Tyler Foster



If you'd like more information or would like to contribute to the relief effort, USAID has an information and update page; its site also has information about how $10 can be quickly donated to the American Red Cross by sending a text message. Contributions to the American Red Cross can also be made at its Haiti Relief and Development webpage, which was found at the USAID site.


If you use French postage, collect stamps, or would like to help via La Poste, this stamp has been issued by France's Post Office.

It's an ordinary Marianne stamp with an extra label. Its price is one euro: 0.56 pays for postage; 0.44 is provided to the Red Cross of France. About seven million such stamps are expected to be sold. Via Álbum de Estampillas



Update: Watching Urban Change by Satellite: Google's satellite imagery has helped relief efforts.