The Best Ways You Can Help Earthquake Victims in Haiti

I received an email yesterday from BloggersUnite asking me to blog in support of relief efforts in Haiti. As a Californian, I am all too familiar with earthquakes. I have lived through the 6.6 magnitude Sylmar Earthquake in 1971 and the 6.7 magnitude Northridge Earthquake in 1994. So writing this post is my way of paying it forward.

BloggersUnite provided the following information:

The citizens of Haiti are currently dealing with devastation and suffering that few of us can even imagine. Tuesday's earthquake has reduced large parts of the the country's capitol, Port Au Prince, to rubble and devastated their already poor infrastructure making the task of delivering aid extremely difficult.

Official estimates from the region say that approximately 3 million people have been affected by this disaster and that somewhere between 45,00 to 50,000 people are may have died as a result of the earthquake.

How You Can Help

Please consider donating to any of the following organizations:

Via SMS text (U.S. only):

• SMS text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts
• SMS text “YELE” to 501501 to Donate $5 to Yele Haiti’s Earthquake Relief efforts
• SMS text "GIVE10" to 20222 to donate $10 to Direct Relief

Donate to UNICEF and CARE using Google checkout by clicking here.

The Huffington Post has compiled a very comprehensive list of over 30 organizations that are mobilized and deployed to help in Haiti. Click here to view this list which is being updated on a regular basis.

Also accepting cash and in-kind donations are the following sites:

• Clinton Bush Haiti Fund
  
• UNICEF (1-800-4UNICEF)
• Direct Relief
• Yele Haiti
• Partners in Health
• Red Cross
• World Food Program
• Mercy Corps (1-888-256-1900)
• Save the Children
• Lambi Fund
• Doctors Without Borders
• The International Rescue Committee
• Care
• William J. Clinton Foundation
• Meds & Food For Kids

On Facebook and playing Zynga games? Here are ways you can play and help those in Haiti. From Zynga.org:

"Three of our top games are participating in a special relief campaign to help earthquake survivors in Haiti. Zynga is donating 100 percent of the proceeds from non-withering white corn within FarmVille, a Haitian drum on Mafia Wars, the Haiti Wrasse Fish in FishVille, and a special chip package in Zynga Poker to support emergency aid in Haiti through the Zynga Haiti Relief Fund. Users can also support the fund by donating directly through Zynga.org, on this page."

On a cautionary note, please beware of scams and hoaxes and ensure that your donations for Haiti get to the right places. For example, contrary to a current meme, Facebook is NOT donating $1 for statuses posted regarding Haiti Earthquake relief per the Global Disaster Relief on Facebook fan page.




Please do what you can to help those in Haiti.

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• Helping Haiti respond to the earthquake (googleblog.blogspot.com)
• Zynga Creates Haiti Relief Fund (eon.businesswire.com)
• 'Towns are absolutely destroyed' (cnn.com)
• 10 Ways You Can Donate to Haitian Earthquake Victims (usnews.com)
• Inclined to Help Haiti Relief? Beware of Scams Already Here (profy.com)