Haiti Earthquake Response
Samaritan’s Purse has opened an Emergency Field Hospital to provide lifesaving medical care to Haiti’s earthquake-devastated communities.
- Our Emergency Field Hospital has opened and received its first patients.
- The 7.2 magnitude earthquake killed more than 2,000; injured thousands more.
- Three airlifts delivered shelter; water filtration; 36-bed hospital.
The 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti’s southern peninsula on Aug. 14, reducing towns into rubble and leaving nearly 2,000 people dead. Countless others have been recovered with life-threatening injuries.
Our Emergency Field Hospital has opened in Les Cayes and has received the first patients. This mobile trauma unit delivered aboard our DC-8 will treat earthquake-related injuries.
In addition to treating the immediate needs of earthquake victims, our teams are also prepared for the growing threat of other illnesses as affected communities are at high risk for the spread of COVID-19 variants.
Disasters of this magnitude also expose Haitians to the threat of deadly cholera outbreaks, a disease endemic to the island nation that quickly infects communities as infrastructure and clean water supplies are compromised.
The Samaritan’s Purse DC-8 aircraft flew out August 15 bringing more than a dozen disaster response specialists along with 31 tons of relief to hurting communities, including emergency shelter material, medical supplies, and water filtration units to provide clean water daily for thousands of people. Canadian DART (Disaster Assistance Response Team) members, also deployed to provide basic medical care and health assessments.
“My hope for the patients that come here is that they know they’re not forgotten. That somebody cared. That God cares enough to come here — to provide care, to show them love, and give them hope,” Melanie Wubs, medical director of the Emergency Field Hospital in Les Cayes.
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Please pray for God’s protection and for His mercy and peace as families mourn untold losses and await news of missing loved ones. Pray for our teams as we meet critical needs that we would also be able to share the hope found only in our Lord Jesus Christ.
