Priez pour nous pauvres pêcheurs

A major earthquake hit outside of Port-au-Prince yesterday evening. I had just arrived home when my cousin nervously pacing and smoking back in forth told me the news. She knew that a couple of my uncles were ok but had no clue about their children who are about the same age as us.

So far, I know that most of my extended family is ok, including an uncle with advancing Alzheimer's. I heard that one great aunt and her daughter (who had polio and has some difficulty walking) are stuck in their house. God knows whether or not they have enough water or have sustained any injuries. (As of 2pm this afternoon, they have been confirmed dead) My cousin's cousin had to sleep in a car--her house was close to Sacre Coeur, a large cathedral in the capital that was also destroyed in quake. One of my other cousins in Miami still hasn't heard from her husband, who owns and operates a medical clinic in the capital. Information is coming in very slowly and often by word of mouth. Even my dad's been crying and he's usually a total robot when it comes to emotions.

This is the presidential palace (once considered a well-built structure):


Haiti is in desperate need of monetary help. Go to Unicef.org, WhiteHouse.gov, Yele.org and/or World Food Programme at WFP.org to find out how to donate.