Haiti (MNN) — And amid the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, the fallout from the earthquake in Haiti hasn’t received as much attention in the U.S. Some experts believe the death toll may be much higher than initially reported: between 10,000 and 100,000 lives lost.
This range of numbers comes from a tool called the Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response, or PAGER. Scientists launched it in 2007, and it correctly predicted the range of deaths for the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
The earthquake affected Haiti’s southern peninsula near the capital Port-au-Prince. But Eva Dehart of For Haiti with Love (located near Cap Haitian on the northern coast) says the fallout from this disaster will impact the entire country. “People are fanning out all across the nation, which impacts everyone. Because food was already an issue. Hunger was already a country-wide problem. And now you’ve got this big concentration of people coming through who have nothing, and people are going to have to share with them.”
How to pray
It isn’t just about resources. Dehart says the whole country is feeling the emotional effects of the earthquake as well. Pray the people of Haiti would feel God’s presence during this time of sorrow. Dehart says, “This has hit a country that was already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. It’s just unbelievable the damage that this has done. That little thumb out there is almost destroyed. The people on the other side of the earthquake cannot even think about getting any supplies from Port-au-Prince. They can’t get through the rubble.”
For Haiti with Love is preparing to help injured people as they make their way north. You can support this work here. Dehart says, “I think we’re in pretty good shape to handle anything that might come on up. They will be injured but not in need of surgery if they can make it that far. How much help they can find along the way will determine how many come all the way to the north coast.”
The header photo shows rescuers climbing over the rubble after the earthquake. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
