Do The RIGHT Thing for Haiti

In the wake of the earthquake tragedy in Haiti, I stumbled across some rather disturbing,yet unsurprising news. The video above sums up the reasons why geologists are not surprised by the devastating earthquake that has shattered Haiti. Apparently, experts have known for quite some time that Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince lies along fault lines that were bound to produce heavy earthquake activity. It is also well-known that Haiti is the poorest country in the northern hemisphere.

With this public knowledge, I can't help but pose the question: Why not make efforts to help these people BEFORE such tragedy??? Of course I am happy that the world has reacted so quickly and abundantly to such a terrible situation, however I cant help but think of the productivity that could have been influenced by such donations PRIOR to this disaster. Why is it that we are conditioned to band together only in the wake of extreme devastation? I suppose that is a question with a life-long answer.

Nonetheless, in effort to do everything within human power to help the people of Haiti, it essential that we band together and donate now. My only reserve to this is that we make sure our money, food, clothing etc. reach the right place. Unfortunately, people often see tragedy as an opportunity to capitalize from good samaritan efforts. The FBI is already reporting several cases of donation scams, and warning people not to respond to spam emails soliciting donations. As you rush to make your donation, please read the fine print. Know how much of your money will actually reach Haiti, where it will go, and how it will help. It is easy to say, "I've donated, I've done my part", but donating to the wrong organization is as good for the people of Haiti as a shot in the dark. Think of how much your donation could have helped before this tragedy, and how much every donation counts for them right now.

Here are a few places to make your donation count(feel free to post any other reputable organizations you are familiar with):

redcross.org
yele.org
Hosea Feed the Hungry (Atlanta Area) is also accepting non-perishable and monetary donations that will be shipped to Haiti.