Caption and photo courtesy Yahoo! News: Survivors stand on the roof of a demolished house after a massive eartquake in Port-au-Prince. With communications in Haiti ravaged by the quake, tech-savvy residents turned to Twitter to send first-hand reports and pictures of the devastation while others used the microblogging service to mobilize appeals for aid. (AFP/Juan Barreto)
By now you’ve heard of Tuesday’s devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. The quake has experts estimating casualties in numbers in the thousands, leaving many homeless including the country’s president.
A detailed report from the Associate Press indicates,
The international Red Cross said a third of the country’s 9 million people may need emergency aid, a burden that would test any nation and a crushing catastrophe for impoverished Haiti.
In the wake of such a disaster, it’s important that those who want to help know the best way to reach out to the victims. Slate.com has put out some advice on how to know if the organization that is helping is legitimate and efficient, which includes supporting non-profits that help countries prone to disaster cope.
It appears that even just sending a text can be the best way for some people to donate, made possible by the company mGive. Details on the text-relief program are here.
