An earthquake centered near the impoverished Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince caused the collapse of several buildings and an unknown number of fatalities Tuesday. The quake measured 7.0 on the Richter scale and at least 1.8 million people live within the area where the earthquake had its highest intensity.President Obama said on Tuesday that his "thoughts and prayers" were with the people of Haiti. "We are closely monitoring the situation and we stand ready to assist the people of Haiti,"Obama said in a statement. The Obama administration said that theState Department , USAID and theU.S. military were working to coordinate an assessment of the situation and any possible assistance.Huffington Post Impact is working to collect a comprehensive list of links and ways to get involved in relief efforts, detailed below. TheU.S. State Department Operations Center has set up the following number for Americans seeking information about family members in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747NOTE: We will continually be updating this page. The best way for you to help right now is to give through one of the organizations below.
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American Red Cross is pledging an initial $200,000 to assist communities impacted by this earthquake. They expect to provide immediate needs for food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support. They are accepting donations through their International Response Fund.
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