Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Help Haiti






(Photos from edjane obama's flickr stream)


Yesterday Haiti was hit by a 7.0 earthquake.  The last report I read said there had been thirteen aftershocks since then (and possibly more since I read that), most of them at about a magnitude of 4-5.9.  Buildings are collapsing right and left, and estimates are as high as 100,000s dead so far.  Haiti is already one of the poorest nations in the Western Hemisphere, and a catastrophe like this would be a huge blow ANYWHERE but especially bad to a place that already has so few resources.

I've been keeping up with new updates via Twitter (it is in these moments that Twitter's ability to spread information fast and far truly shines), via @cnnbrk and also CNN's compiled list for Haiti (there is also now a list of reporters tweeting from Haiti) You can also keep an eye on the Red Cross's newsroom for their posted updates.

Mashable has put together a comprehensive list of top ways to donate, both online and via text message. Please go check it out. Right now the biggest need is for cash donations so organizations can get food, water, etc to people as quickly as possible.

The simplest way to give money quickly is to text "Haiti" to 90999, which automatically sends $10 to the Red Cross (the charge shows up on your cell phone bill, and 100% of the $10 charge goes directly to the Red Cross).  But if you have more time (and money) to give, do check out the Mashable list to find out where to donate.

3 comments:

  1. I have a question about the texting to donate.

    Do you have a link to any reputable source that verifies that 100% of the $10 makes it to the American Red Cross?

    I am always suspicious of telecoms and typically give directly to organizations, but this sort of giving seems really convenient.

    ReplyDelete
  2. oraclenude-- I don't have a specific link for that. I have this from the Red Cross backing that the texting thing is legit:

    http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.94aae335470e233f6cf911df43181aa0/?vgnextoid=15c0c5a210826210VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD

    My understanding is that cell phone companies aren't taking any cut of the money donate via text message (this is what I mean when I say 100% of the money goes to the Red Cross-- Verizon, AT&T, etc, none of them should be taking a cut of that money) but at this moment I don't have a link to verify that. Might get around to it later if I have time for some serious googling.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Marcy. It does all seem very legit.

    ReplyDelete

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