As someone who experienced firsthand the Loma Prieta earthquake (7.1 magnitude) in 1989, I can tell you that the devastation wrought by earthquakes at 7.0 and greater -- even in areas where buildings are meant to withstand such force -- is scary. Even though there were blessedly far fewer deaths in that quake, the damage (emotional, physical, and structural), remains for months on into years. The need for help continues long after the initial calls for assistance.
As is usually the case, the initial calls for help for the people of Haiti have begun to fade; however, the Haitians and the people who are on the ground helping them continues.
International Medical Corps was on the ground in Haiti less than 24 hours after the 7.0 earthquake struck on January 12, 2010. They are still there and they still need your help.
They are working throughout Port-au-Prince, including the Hôpital de l'Université d'État d'Haiti, the largest hospital in the city. Their doctors and nurses are performing 30-50 surgeries daily. They are treating more than 1,000 patients a day across all facilities – hospital, static clinics and mobile clinics.
Beyond the capital, their mobile medical teams are providing medical care and delivering supplies in underserved areas including Petit-Goâve, Grande Goave, Petionville, Boloise, Carrefour, Jacmal, and Gressier.
Current reports indicate:
•At least 110,000 people are confirmed dead.
•More than 1 million people have been displaced by the earthquake.
•As many as 5.4 million people have been affected.
International Medical Corps will continue to work hand in hand with the Haitian people to rebuild their devastated health care system.
If you need to know more about this group before donating, the important thing to know is that this organization has an A+ rating from the American Institute of Philanthropy. More than 92% of the charity's resources go directly to program activities.
Donating $10 to help the people of Haiti is as simple as sending a text message of the word "haiti" to 85944.
God bless and keep the people of Haiti and the good people on the ground helping them. Keep up the good work, IMC!
As is usually the case, the initial calls for help for the people of Haiti have begun to fade; however, the Haitians and the people who are on the ground helping them continues.
International Medical Corps was on the ground in Haiti less than 24 hours after the 7.0 earthquake struck on January 12, 2010. They are still there and they still need your help.
They are working throughout Port-au-Prince, including the Hôpital de l'Université d'État d'Haiti, the largest hospital in the city. Their doctors and nurses are performing 30-50 surgeries daily. They are treating more than 1,000 patients a day across all facilities – hospital, static clinics and mobile clinics.
Beyond the capital, their mobile medical teams are providing medical care and delivering supplies in underserved areas including Petit-Goâve, Grande Goave, Petionville, Boloise, Carrefour, Jacmal, and Gressier.
Current reports indicate:
•At least 110,000 people are confirmed dead.
•More than 1 million people have been displaced by the earthquake.
•As many as 5.4 million people have been affected.
International Medical Corps will continue to work hand in hand with the Haitian people to rebuild their devastated health care system.
If you need to know more about this group before donating, the important thing to know is that this organization has an A+ rating from the American Institute of Philanthropy. More than 92% of the charity's resources go directly to program activities.
Donating $10 to help the people of Haiti is as simple as sending a text message of the word "haiti" to 85944.
God bless and keep the people of Haiti and the good people on the ground helping them. Keep up the good work, IMC!
Comments
But let us remember those who came before; those who believed in the brotherhood of man even when such a faith was tested. Remember Dr. Martin Luther King. Not long after an explosion ripped through his front porch, his wife and infant daughter inside, he rose to that pulpit in Montgomery and said, "Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend."
In the eyes of those who denied his humanity, he saw the face of God.
Remember Abraham Lincoln. On the eve of the Civil War, with states seceding and forces gathering, with a nation divided half slave and half free, he rose to deliver his first Inaugural and said, "We are not enemies, but friends... Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection."
Even in the eyes of confederate soldiers, he saw the face of God.
Remember William Wilberforce, whose Christian faith led him to seek slavery's abolition in Britain; he was vilified, derided, attacked; but he called for "lessening prejudices [and] conciliating good-will, and thereby making way for the less obstructed progress of truth."
In the eyes of those who sought to silence a nation's conscience, he saw the face of God.
Yes, there are crimes of conscience that call us to action. Yes, there are causes that move our hearts and offenses that stir our souls. But progress doesn't come when we demonize opponents. It's not born in righteous spite. Progress comes when we open our hearts, when we extend our hands, when we recognize our common humanity. Progress comes when we look into the eyes of another and see the face of God. That we might do so -- that we will do so all the time, not just some of the time -- is my fervent prayer for our nation and the world.
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
President Barack Obama - At the prayer breakfast.
Nice try, Anonymous. His words are pretty but they are nothing like the man who reads them. Too bad, actually. If they were, I might feel a bit better about your choice for president.
I certainly hope next time they put his speech on the 'prompter, they spell things phonetically. This whole "corpse" business has got to be embarrassing for a Harvard grad!