Cross International responding to Haiti's immediate needs after devastating earthquake

Online, January 13, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Cross International has staff on the ground in Port-au-Prince surveying the damage of the massive earthquake that hit Haiti shortly before 5 p.m. yesterday. The South-Florida-based Christian relief and development ministry is working with local ministries in the country to provide immediate relief.

"Our vice president of missions and Haiti project officer are both on the ground in Haiti," Cross International President Jim Cavnar said. "We are working with our ministry partners in Port-au-Prince to provide what is most urgently needed. So often in disasters, countries are hit with a lot of unusable aid. We want to make sure we are providing only what is needed most."

How You Can Help:
What's needed: The most urgent need is cash grants. Our partners in Haiti can use it to buy food, water, and emergency supplies and procure shelter. With the roads blocked, this is the quickest way to get aid to those who need it most.
How to donate: Online at www.crossinternational.org/relief, by mail at 600 SW 3rd Street, Suite 2201, Pompano Beach, Florida 33060, or by phone at 800-391-8545.

Just before 5 p.m. Tuesday, a massive 7.2 earthquake shook Haiti, demolishing a hospital, schools, and homes and leaving what many fear are thousands dead. The epicenter of the deadly earthquake was Port-au-Prince, the country's densely-populated capital city and main seaport. Experts are calling it the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Haiti.

Haiti Project Officer Mike Henry ventured into Port-au-Prince today to survey the damage. He said it was overwhelming. "It looks like Dante's Inferno. There are dead bodies everyone. It is hell on earth here."

Since the initial earthquake, Haiti has been experiencing about two strong aftershocks an hour. The airport in Port-au-Prince and the National Palace both sustained heavy damage, and several other buildings have been completely destroyed.

Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti and join us in the relief efforts.
For more updates on our relief efforts and the latest news from our partners in Haiti, visit www.crossinternational.org/relief.