Haiti Earthquake: Finding Loved Ones, Donating, Following Up

Following up on Michael Jones' post on the breaking earthquake in Haiti, here are some updates.

For an indicator of how powerful the earthquake is, the rumble took down the five-story United Nations building. The UN has standards for what kinds of buildings it moves into in most places, so it was likely a very sturdy structure.

The following are resources where you can see some of the most powerful photos, get information about loved ones or acquaintances in Haiti, and get a sense of the geography and lay of the land.

• MAP - Gain some context with this UN map of the Haiti earthquake.

• PHOTOS - Wow, just take a look at this collapsed neighborhood and the fallen state house on the New York Times site.

• BEST HUMANITARIAN UPDATES - Reuters Alertnet has the most comprehensive coverage in English, with links to humanitarian agencies.

• SOLIDARITY & DIALOGUE - If you'd like to converse with people about what's happening, in French or English, here's a large Haiti Earthquake Facebook group doing just that.

• FINDING A LOVED-ONE - If you're not only connected to your friend or family in Haiti via Facebook or other social media tool, CNN's iReport is offering a free site through which to connect.

• RESPONDING AGENCIES - If you wish to donate, we would highly recommend you provide cash through humanitarian agencies and local NGOs already on the ground in Haiti rather than stocking canned goods which require a great deal of logistical cost. There are likely still reasonable supplies in the area, just many people have lost the ability to get to them or purchase them. Here's Reuters Alertnet's list of agencies which are on the ground and ready to use donations wisely.

Beyond these resources, there are the more specific options for giving in Jones' piece, for one of the worst natural disasters to hit the Caribbean in history.

Photo credit: Globovision