On Saturday, August 14, 2021, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Haiti’s southern peninsula, causing widespread destruction in the Caribbean country. Two cities, Jeremie and Les Cayes, reported that at least 2,200 people were confirmed dead, more than 12,200 were injured, and hundreds more were missing. Some 50,000 homes were destroyed, and another 78,000 were damaged. Many places of worship, schools, health centers, and orphanages were also destroyed leaving many homeless and without important resources.
It is believed that the earthquake occurred along the same fault line as did the earthquake back in 2010. The epicenter of the quake was 78 miles west of Port-au-Prince and was felt as far away as Jamaica. The United States Geological Survey said that the quake struck five miles from the town of Petit Trou de Nippes in the western part of Haiti, which is approximately 80 miles west of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. The quake reportedly had a depth of seven miles.
This earthquake could not have hit at a worst time for Haiti because the country never fully recovered from the 2010 earthquake that leveled much of Port-au-Prince and killed some 250,000 people. The area where the earthquake struck on August 14, is also the same part of Haiti that was affected by Hurricane Matthew in 2016, and they were also still in recovery mode.
As if this was not enough for the Haitian community to have to face, Tropical Storm Grace arrived in Haiti on the following Tuesday, August 17, just days after the earthquake. This brought even more challenges for the Haitian people. Those who survived the earthquake, but were left homeless, were exposed to heavy rains, floods, and landslides.
The earthquake and Tropical Storm Grace were, simply put, one more disaster in a country that has suffered from decades of political, economic, and social setbacks. Millions of people have been affected from the 2010 earthquake to now and with so many displaced, the country is in what we call, “its greatest humanitarian need.”
Giving Hearts with Love Foundation has been committed to helping the Haitian community for several years and will continue to do so.
If you are interested in supporting our relief efforts for those in Haiti there are several ways you can do so.
- Make a monetary donation
at www.ghwl.org
- Drop off items at
one of our drop-off locations in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Alabama or Atlanta.
- Mail in items to
us at 151. N. Nob Hill Road, Suite 256, Plantation Florida, 33324.
- Purchase items
from an amazon wishlist we created. Items will be shipped directly to our
office and then sent to Haiti for distribution.
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/342ECCRE2MXHZ?ref_=wl_share
