I apologise for this break from the usual content of my blog and website. I appreciate that most of my readers come here for the technology articles and perhaps to view my portfolio and current projects, however the scale of this disaster and the level of suffering we all are witnessing on the news has lead me to make this post.
There’s nothing technical here, no programming, no tutorials – just a plea from me for all of my readers and to the wider internet for those who are able to, to consider making a donation to the DEC or ICRC.
I, like many people around the world, am deeply saddened by the suffering of the people of Haiti following the earthquake and series of aftershocks which occurred (and indeed are still occurring) this month.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and has had its previously shaky and unreliable infrastructure completely destroyed by this natural disaster. International aid is arriving slowly and is helping, but the scale of the task at hand is daunting.
If you are able to, please consider donating some cash to help fund relief efforts. The Disasters Emergency Committee in the UK and the International Red Cross (Worldwide) are accepting donations online. If you are a UK tax payer and choose to donate through the DEC, remember to GiftAid your submission – it will allow the DEC to claim an additional 28 pence for every pound donated at no extra cost to yourself.
From the Wikipedia article: 2010 Haiti Earthquake :
The 2010 Haitian earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake. Its epicentre was near Léogâne, approximately 25 km (16 miles) west of Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010, at a depth of 13 km (8.1 miles). The United States Geological Survey recorded a series of at least 33 aftershocks, 14 of which were between magnitudes 5.0 and 5.9. The International Red Cross estimated that about three million people were affected by the quake; the Haitian Interior Minister, Paul Antoine Bien-Aimé, anticipated on 15 January that the disaster would claim between 100,000 and 200,000 lives. Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive announced that by 18 January over 70,000 bodies had been buried in mass graves.
Thank you for your time.