The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
-Psalm 19:1

Do you know that God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash?
-Job 37:15



Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Devastation in Haiti

By now, most of you have heard of the major earthquake that has devastated Haiti, the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. News of natural disasters affect me greatly, like they do most people. It saddens me to watch the full media barrage, and yet, I find myself drawn to it, almost as if I need to somehow understand their pain, so I submerge myself in the emotion of it all. I suppose that is part of coping, relating. My heart and prayers go out to all the people there in and around Port-au-Prince and their families and friends, where the 7.0 magnitude earthquake, centered just 10 miles from Port-au-Prince, demolished the capital and surrounding areas. In a 3rd world-poverty-stricken nation of 9 million plus, for a quake to hit just south of its capital, bearing about 25% of the entire population is a tragic blow to the infrastructure. A Haitian woman is covered in rubble in Port-au-Prince after a huge earthquake measuring 7.0 rocked the impoverished Caribbean nation, toppling buildings and causing widespread damage and panic, officials and AFP witnesses said.(AFP/Lisandro Suero)In the part of the nation built up with stories of concrete-blocked structures, the number of people who must be buried under the rubble, entombed in the disaster that struck during business hours, is unfathomable, and to pile on after-shocks for those terror-stricken people, so far numbering more than 32, each stronger than 4.5 in magnitude, it's truly unimaginable. People are seen near the ruins of a building, which was destroyed after a major earthquake struck, in Port-au-Prince in this January 12, 2010 video grab. The magnitude 7.0 quake hit impoverished Haiti on Tuesday, toppling buildings in the capital Port-au-Prince, burying residents in rubble and causing many deaths and injuries, witnesses in the city said.REUTERS/Reuters TV (HAITI - Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT) The images coming out of the area are heart wrenching... homes, the President's home, buildings, the main hospital, the UN peace-keeping building... destroyed, piles of concrete lay in the wake of this historic earthquake. Buildings are seen damaged in the neighbourhood of Petionville, Port-Au-Prince shortly after an earthquake hit Haiti, January 12, 2010. The 7.0 magnitude quake rocked Haiti, killing possibly thousands of people as it toppled the presidential palace and hillside shanties alike and leaving the poor Caribbean nation appealing for international help. REUTERS/Nabil Hijjawi via Your View (HAITI - Tags: DISASTER ENVIRONMENT) It is estimated that 3 million people were affected by the powerful earthquake that struck Haiti yesterday and that thousands of lives were claimed.

The heart-warming part is the way the world unifies in disasters such as this...

"Haiti has moved to center of the world's thoughts and the world's compassion," said British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
So many countries are activating humanitarian relief to rush to the aid of this devastated, impoverished nation.
... women covered in dust clawed out of debris, wailing. Stunned people wandered the streets holding hands. Thousands gathered in public squares singing hymns.
~source
Even during the most horrific natural disaster this nation has ever known, these people have turned to God in praise. How beautiful. How beautiful that these strangers, hand-in-hand, find a way to seek Him for counsel.
Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
The people of Haiti are in desperate need of our prayers and assistance. Please keep them in your thoughts as you walk through your day today.

1:13PM I just got this breaking news update:
Haitian officials are estimating the dead at between 100,000 and 500,000 from Tuesday's quake in Haiti.
~source
Missionary saves his wife and roomate
~Dewdrop

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