Church sends humanitarian aid to Haiti after 7.0 earthquake
January 13, 2010
Jason Swensen, Church News
In the moments following a devastating earthquake in Haiti, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began organizing a humanitarian response to assist the legions affected by the Jan. 12 disaster.
"We express our sympathy and prayers on behalf of the citizens of Haiti following the recent devastating earthquake," said Mormon Church spokesman Scott Trotter. "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is immediately shipping humanitarian relief including personal hygiene kits and supplies for newborns."
All Latter-day Saint missionaries serving in the Haiti Port-au-Prince Mission are safe, according to Lynn Samsel, the Church's Emergency Response director on Wednesday morning, Jan. 13.
"We are waiting for further word on members and Church facilities," he added.
Church officials are organizing an airlift to Haiti with needed humanitarian supplies. The Church is partnering with other humanitarian relief agencies in that effort. Donations for relief efforts can be made at give.lds.org/emergencyresponse.
Communication with Haiti was still a challenge a day after the 7.0-magnitude quake. Brother Samsel said a team from the Church offices in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, would be traveling via land to Haiti to better assess the situation.
The Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince was largely destroyed in the most powerful temblor to hit the island nation in two centuries, according to the Associated Press. No official casualty data had been reported a day following the quake, but many believe the number will reach into the thousands. The destruction has left tens of thousands of people homeless. Journalists in Haiti called the National Palace "a crumbled ruin."
The Church is relatively young in Haiti. The first baptisms in the West Indies nation were performed in 1978. A branch was organized later that year followed by the creation of the Haiti District in 1982.
In 1983, President Thomas S. Monson blessed the land of Haiti while serving as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve. A year later, the Haiti Port-au-Prince Mission was created. Haiti's first stake, the Port-au-Prince stake, was formed in 1997. Today there are two stakes in the country.
More than 15,000 members of the Church live in Haiti.
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