I am so encouraged that the heart of compassion is so great around the world. Stop, think for a moment, if you are surrounded by chaos and distruction, what do you really need. The emergency nature of the first days of any disaster call for a very controlled and directed response by people closest to the disaster who are trained to work in the dangerous environments of destroyed buildings and dead bodies. The greatest help that we can give Haiti at this time is prayer and money donated to organizations who will have a big role in the relief and recovery stages of this disaster.
http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/umcor/donate.cfm?code=418325&id=3018760
This is the link to contibute through UMCOR. Every dollar contributed in this manner will go to help folks in Haiti. Your local church can also receive credit for this donation when you follow the intructions.
Which federal agency is responsible for disaster assistance outside US Borders? The United States Agency for International Development also known as USAID, Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance is responsible for providing emergency assistance to areas impacted by disasters or emergencies outside the United States borders. For more information on relief efforts, please call 703-276-1914 or visit www.usaid.gov.
Three people from GBGM were in Haiti at the time of the earthquake. Sam Dixon, Deputy General Secretary in charge of UMCOR, Clint Rabb, Assistance General Secretary in charge of UMVIM, and Jim Gulley, UMCOR Consultant and former missionary.
Tom Hazelwood Friends here is what we know as of now. Sam, Clint and Jim left the Methodist Guest House in Haiti and were dropped off at Hotel Montana for a meeting. The earthquake hit about 5 minutes after they were dropped off. The hotel completely collapsed. We were told that some survivors were evacuated from the hotel lat…e last night. We still have no word. Please hold the families in your hearts and prayers.
There are 45,000 American citizens currently in Haiti.
Americans seeking information on family in Haiti can call 1888.407.4747.
