This is a photo of the town, Jeremie, taken in 2017 after Hurricane Matthew. It is one of the hardest hit areas from yesterday's earthquake

The details are still being gathered of the extent of the damage from the 7.2 earthquake that hit Haiti yesterday. There was also a 5.2 magnitude aftershock an hour later. Our students in the Dominican Republic (same island/different country) felt the earthquake all the way to where they live in the mountains. To make things worse, Tropical Storm Grace is heading for Haiti starting Sunday.
The Haitian government has declared a state of emergency expecting to last for a month.
The areas most affected are to the west and the south including Les Cayes, Nippes and the breadbasket of Haiti, Grand 'Anse. Most people live in structures that are very vulnerable to the shaking and it is likely that the counts of dead and injured will increase. Landslides are another danger.
Because of recent gang activities, access to these areas has been severely impeded including a locked gate put across a highway that is the route from Port Au Prince to the affected areas. We have also heard that buses carrying injured patients are being hijacked. Obviously, the situation is very serious and we will keep you informed as information is gathered.

The photo on the left is another from Jeremie where Drnancy went in 2017 to help after Hurricane Matthew. To the right is a photo of Vitiello who is just a few months away from receiving his degree in Civil Engineering. It is his dream to return to Haiti and help build more solid structures and road systems. Your support makes this happen.

Board member Dan Catullo and Drnancy spoke to Junior and Bestfriend to hear what information they had gathered from friends and family in Haiti. As you know, they are in their final year of medical school in the Dominican Republic and wish with all their hearts that they were allowed to go to Haiti and provide services at tis crucial moment. It is why they are studying and we are trying to keep their spirits up until they have the credentials that will allow them to respond to these crises that have become all too familiar.

Our Plan

We are assessing aid work as it is being organized in the next week and will accept donations to GAPCreate. We will distribute them to organizations in Haiti with whom we are familiar and who do work we trust.

We will also continue supporting our students and Covid related efforts.

Thank you for sending your donations to https://www.gapcreate.org/donate-now/