ASSISTANCE FOR HAITI:
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Caritas Internationalis: www.caritas.org/donate-now/haiti-earthquake-2021
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Hero Foundation USA : www.herofoundationusa.org
Pope Francis has called for international solidarity to alleviate suffering in Haiti following a major earthquake that killed at least 304 people.
“In recent hours a strong earthquake has occurred in Haiti, causing numerous deaths, injuries and extensive material damage. I wish to express my closeness to those dear people who have been hard hit by the earthquake,” Pope Francis said Aug. 15.
Relief workers in Haiti said the Aug. 14 earthquake might not be as catastrophic as the 2010 quake that was closer to the capital, but recovery will be complicated because the quake came on the heels of July’s presidential assassination, of an economic and ongoing political crisis, the coronavirus pandemic and an active storm season now underway.
Fonie Pierre, a public health professional who heads operations in the region for the U.S.-based Catholic Relief Services, lives in Les Cayes, Haiti’s third-largest city and one of the hardest hit by the earthquake magnitude 7.2 earthquake. She told Catholic News Service she and her daughter fled their home during the earthquake and have joined neighbors in living outdoors for the foreseeable future.