Haiti

Hundreds of Salvation Army volunteers in the United States have spent the last few days preparing and packing one million ready-to-eat meals to send to survivors of the Haiti earthquake.

They are in addition to the 250,000 meals are already awaiting shipment from Des Moines, Iowa.

The meals, courtesy of food group Numana Inc, consist of rice, soy protein, freeze-dried vegetables and vitamins that can be cooked in boiling water. more >>

As aid workers frantically rescue survivors of Haiti’s massive quake, several hundred miles north in the United States many churches and ministries are anxiously awaiting word about missing workers and missionaries.

In Florida, the state Baptist convention is praying for word that 18 of their workers in Haiti are safe, according to Baptist Press, the news wire service of the Southern Baptist Convention.

The Florida Baptist Convention says it has not heard from 18 of its 21 Haitian staff after the 7.0-magnitude quake hit Haiti Tuesday and decimated the capital Port-au-Prince. The other three Haitian employees were found unharmed. more >>

Controversial charismatic Pat Robertson has put his foot in his mouth with yet another post-disaster remark – this time regarding the hard-hit country of Haiti.

While hosting “The 700 Club” on the Christian Broadcasting Network Wednesday, Robertson said the 7.0-magnitude quake that struck Haiti a day earlier was the consequence of the curse that had befallen the country’s people after its founding fathers made a “pact to the Devil” in exchange for Haiti’s independence from France.

“[E]ver since they have been cursed by one thing after the other, desperately poor,” Robertson said. more >>

From denominations and mission agencies to broadcasters and foreign governments, groups and individuals are responding to the devastation in Haiti with an outpouring of aid, on-site efforts, and calls for prayer and donation.

Meanwhile, officials fear that the death toll from Haiti's devastating earthquake could reach into the tens of thousands, with some saying a toll of 100,000 and even 500,000 is possible.

“The death toll is climbing by the hour in the wake of the magnitude 7.0 quake that tore through the capital of Port-au-Prince,” reported U.S.-based Christian Aid, which has been assisting native missionary efforts in Haiti since 1970. “The trembler and aftershocks are the most powerful in 240 years and affect 1.8 million people who live in the immediate area of the epicenter.” more >>

Survivors of a massive earthquake that struck Haiti on Tuesday face “untold suffering,” warns Christian Aid.

Thousands are feared dead following the 7.0 magnitude quake which struck 10 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince just before 5 p.m. local time. Buildings across the capital were toppled, including the presidential palace and the headquarters of the UN mission in Haiti. It is believed that there are no survivors inside the collapsed UN building.

Dame Anne Owers, chair of Christian Aid, said she was deeply concerned about the impact of the earthquake on already severely impoverished communities in the Caribbean nation. more >>

A powerful 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Tuesday, collapsing a number of buildings and filling the capital city of Port-au-Prince with clouds of dust and smoke, according to initial reports.

Though the extent of the damage was not immediately known as communications were widely disrupted, there were reports from a number of sources of the collapse of a hospital and heavy damage to buildings including the Haiti’s Presidential Palace and the U.N. peacekeeper headquarters.

The initial quake, which was followed by two severe aftershocks, struck 10 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince at 4:53 p.m. ET, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A tsunami warning was issued for Haiti, the neighboring Dominican Republic, Cuba and the Bahamas. more >>