Local groups do what they can for Haiti

Despite collapsed walls, little food and no electricity, crews from the Salvation Army of Greater Philadelphia are providing medical care and shelter to hundreds inside a compound in the nation’s capital, Port-au-Prince.

With an estimated three-million people in crisis after Tuesday’s deadly earthquake in Haiti, relief efforts are surging worldwide. Local organizations are doing their part to help recover and rebuild the Haitian communities.

Despite collapsed walls, little food and no electricity, crews from the Salvation Army of Greater Philadelphia are providing medical care and shelter to hundreds inside a compound in the nation’s capital, Port-au-Prince.

Tom Lyle has traveled to Haiti on behalf of the Salvation Army many times. He says the country’s infrastructure, under good conditions, is deplorable, meaning rebuilding will take much longer than in more developed countries.

Lyle: We’re in for a long haul here. Our hearts are hurting here. My heart is just torn because I’m not there. It’s desperate times right now and we need the help of the world to get in there to try to make it better for everyone.

Donations are accepted online at salvationarmyphiladelphia.org. Red Cross relief donations can be made at redcross.org or at local Wawa stores.