Labor Answers Calls for Assistance to Haiti
January 19, 2010
 The massive 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti on Tuesday evening is already being called the disaster of the century for this desperately poor Caribbean nation. The most powerful earthquake to ever be recorded in Haitian history was centered on the nation’s capital, Port-au-Prince, reducing large portions of the city to rubble.
Karel Zelenka of Catholic Relief Services in Port-au-Prince told the Washington Post:
We should be prepared for thousands and thousands of dead and injured.
Contributing to the disaster’s magnitude is Haiti’s lack of safe building guidelines or basic enforcement mechanisms.
In response to the crisis, activists are calling on union members to lend a helping hand to the people of Haiti.
The Solidarity Center has set up an online earthquake relief fund for Haitian workers. Click here to contribute.
The National Nurses United issued an urgent call last night to recruit nurse volunteers to assist in Haiti. To follow its Twitter updates, click here.
IBEW International President Ed Hill said: “Even as we struggle with crucial issues in North America, events like this remind us of how much we have and compel us to do what we can to address this human tragedy.”
Photo used under a Creative Commons license from Flickr user Globovisión.
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