Portland, OR–January 12, 2010. Mercy Corps is sending a team of emergency responders to Haiti in the wake of a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that rocked the island nation earlier today. The team will assess damage, and seek to fulfill immediate needs of quake survivors.
“Initial reports indicate that the quake has caused extensive damage, and we fear that casualties could be widespread,” explained Randy Martin, Mercy Corps director of Global Emergency Operation. “Our team will quickly assess what the most pressing needs are in earthquake-affected areas.”
The earthquake exacerbates an already dire humanitarian situation in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Plagued by hunger and political instability, the quake is likely to dramatically increase the needs of many impoverished Haitian families.
Mercy Corps has a long history of helping earthquake survivors. The agency aided families after earthquakes in Peru in 2007, China and Pakistan in 2008, and Indonesia last year.
HOW TO HELP:
Mercy Corps
Haiti Earthquake Fund
Dept NR
PO Box 2669
Portland, OR 97208
www.mercycorps.org
1-888-256-1900
Source: mercycorps.org