NEW ORLEANS -- As scenes of the destruction in Haiti began to emerge Tuesday night, Fenelle Guillaume said she had trouble falling asleep in her New Orleans East home. She was worried about her family, who live in Port-au-Prince.
"It is very hard," Guillaume said. "Just like Katrina -- you don't know, you can't call, no communication, nothing."
In the aftermath of the earthquake, communication to Haiti has been spotty at best. After hours of trying, Guillaume finally reached her cousin, who had been working inside the Presidential Palace when it began to collapse. He managed to escape and told Guillaume that he spent four hours walking home amid the destruction.
"It was like chaos. On his way, buildings were falling from left to right," she said.
"Right now, we mostly need prayers," said Joseph Louis Jeune of Harvey.
Jeune is one of the estimated 4,000 Haitians who live in the New Orleans area. He also managed to reach his family in Haiti, who live just outside the capital city -- at the earthquake's epicenter. Jeune visited Haiti just last week.
"My father is still missing," he said. "My sister was describing houses are like pancakes and people are crying. It's devastating."
The Southeast Louisiana chapter of the American Red Cross, as of now, is not accepting in-kind donations of food or clothing. However, the organization is accepting money for earthquake relief efforts.
"If we can have cash, we can quickly transform cash into food, into the right kinds of food," said Kay Wilkins, the chapter's CEO.
Meanwhile, Haitians and Haitian-Americans in the metro area are trying to do their part in the aftermath of a catastrophic -- and very personal -- disaster.
"The worst thing is no news at all. I've been trying to reach my family in Haiti since yesterday after it happened," said Nesloi Rodrigue of Algiers. "We're going to try and see if we can use ourselves as a channel, to receive help for those who are truly in need."
The U.S. State Department has set up a toll-free number for anyone needing information about family members in Haiti. That number is 1-888-407-4747. Callers are warned that they may get a recording because of the large volume of calls. The International Committee of the Red Cross has also set up a family linking website to register and look for the names of relatives missing in the aftermath of the earthquake. It can be found at www.icrc.org/familylinks
Two local community banks-- Dryades Savings Bank and First NBC Bank-- have also opened up special funds to collect assistance for the earthquake survivors in Haiti. Donations can be made at any of the Banks' locations in the New Orleans metro area, or they can be mailed to the N.O. Haiti Relief Fund at 210 Baronne Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112.
There are also a number of relief organizations now sending aid to Haiti, some of which are listed below.
Places you give aid
To add a comment, please register or login.