As you probably know, Haiti was struck by a devastating earthquake last night. According to the latest estimates, over 100,000 people may have died and large parts of the island’s infrastructure have been destroyed.
Here is a short list of things you can do right now to get help to Haiti. Just watch out for unsolicited emails. Quite a few scammers and spammers are trying to profit from this catastrophe and have set up fake donation sites and are running phishing scams.
Text to Give Money
As Twitter’s Evan Williams just noted on the official Twitter blog, giving money to relief organizations has never been easier. All you need is your phone.
- The American Red Cross allows anyone in the U.S. to text HAITI to 90999 as an easy way to donate $10 to the recovery effort. The money is billed to your mobile phone account. According to the latest tally, the Red Cross has already raised over $800,000 through text messages.
- Musician Wyclef Jean’s Haiti-focused organization, Yele is also accepting text-message donations. To donate $5, text Yele to 501501 or visit the foundation’s Web site.
Of course, all the major relief organizations also have websites and will happily accept your donations. Our friends at Mashable have compiled a good list of worthy organizations.
Update: Google also just announced a new page that allows you to donate to UNICEF and CARE by using a Google Checkout account.
Stay Informed
Here are a few Twitter lists you can follow to stay informed.
- New York Times: follows updates from organizations like the Red Cross, Catholic Relief Services and InternetHaiti.
- CNN: follows many of the same news sources as the New York Times, but also features updates from local bloggers and Twitterusers.
- This local blogger is also posting regular updates.
If you know of other news sources, local bloggers or organizations, let us know in the comments.
