If You Were Affected by Haiti

The island nation of Haiti was recently hit by a devastating earth quake that has claimed dozens of victims and toppled countless buildings.

For those who would like to help the relief effort the U.S. Department of State is advising individuals to text "HAITI" to "90999" for $10 to be charged to their cell phone bills and delivered to the Red Cross.

Individuals who want to ask for or provide information about U.S. citizens in Haiti should e-mail the State Department Task Force in charge of the Haiti disaster at Haiti-Earthquake@State.Gov. They can also call 888-407-4747 (from the U.S. and Canada) or 202-501-4444 (from outside the U.S. and Canada).

U.S. citizens currently in Haiti can seek assistance and report their status/whereabouts by calling the Embassy's Consular Task Force at 509-2229-8942, 509-2229-8089, 509-2229-8322, or 509-2229-8672. They may also e-mail the U.S. Embassy in Haiti at ACSPaP@State.Gov.

Individuals who plan on using the services above should have some information handy to pass along to the officials who will answer your calls and e-mails. Gathering as much information as possible will help with your request. Helpful information will include:

--Full name, date of birth and passport information of any persons in Haiti you are trying to contact.

--Any contact information in Haiti for the people you are trying to contact. Try to include any telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, and hotel information.

--The State Department also asks that you include any pertinent special or emergency circumstances that will aid in their efforts to find your loved one.

--Your name and contact information and your relationship to the person you are trying to find.

Task Force members in the U.S. and Haiti are working together to locate and assist U.S. citizens in Haiti. Each message left for the Task Force will be answered as soon as possible. If after contacting the Task Force you happen to hear from your loved one the Task Force would like to be updated with that information. This is important so that the Task Force can move on to the next request for assistance.

The State Department is also hosting a "Person Finder" feature on their site which allows users to post and share information about missing loved ones in Haiti. Before posting, users should be aware that anything posted on Person Finder will be made publicly available and viewable by all other users of the People Finder system. This feature will aid in the facilitation of search efforts.

Sources:

2010 Earthquake in Haiti. Countries and Other Areas. The U.S. Department of State.