Claudine Oriol considers herself lucky.
The actress was on a New York-bound plane from her native Haiti just two hours before the 7.0 earthquake rocked the small Caribbean nation, leaving much of its capital, Port-au-Prince, in rubble and anywhere from 150,000 to 200,000 people, or even more, dead.
"I was actually saved by God. I found out when I landed in New York what had happened," said the actress, who had been working with Mayor Wilson Jeudi to start a public library in the district of Delmas, one of the hardest-hit areas of Port-au-Prince.
Since receiving the news, Oriol and others in the local Haitian American community have gone into overdrive to raise funds, food, and clothing to aid the devastated nation.
Calling upon all of her resources in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles, Oriol, along with producer and director Jean-Claude La Marre, spearheaded a fundraising event on Jan. 18 at Kassava Caribbean Restaurant in Los Angeles.
All of the money raised will be donated to various organizations including the Clinton Global Initiative, Yéle Haiti and Food For the Poor, Oriol said.
She said donations will continue to be accepted at the restaurant.
"We're collecting shoes, goods, anything people are willing to donate," said Oriol, who added that the news devastated her. "I knew that it was going to be horrendous. There is nothing left. If somebody wants to wire money to Haiti, they can't. The banks are gone, the super markets are gone. It's a city of rubble."
TiGeorges' Chicken, a restaurant in Los Angeles, has served as a gathering place for the local Haitian community's fundraising efforts. Restaurant owner Georges Laguerre held fundraising events on Jan. 14 and 16 at the restaurant.
Laguerre says the money raised will go to several organizations — including Yéle Haiti, Fonkoze, and Ebenezer International Church — that worked in Haiti before the earthquake.
"Anyone who wants to forward funds, make the check to any one of those organizations, and I will make sure it gets to those organizations," Laguerre said. "We're acting as a hub."
He added that it's time for the world to recognize that Haiti needs more than just food and clothing.
"People will bring cans of food. People will bring cheese, rice," Laguerre said. "They think (if) you feed them that's good enough."
Not really, according to Laguerre.
"No!" he said. "After 200 years, the idea of sending canned food to Haiti needs to be stopped. Haiti (has been) in the dark for the last 200 years. All of our rivers run into the ocean — this can be converted into energy. If you are really giving money to Haiti, build dams, bridges — things that will allow Haiti to become a self-sufficient society."
Activist, talk show host and L.A. Watts Times columnist Earl Ofari Hutchinson has launched a different kind of campaign. Recently, Hutchinson kicked off Operation Haiti Missing Person at Lucy Florence Coffee House in Leimert Park. The purpose of the campaign is to help locals find missing relatives.
"There is a considerable Haitian community in this city," Hutchinson said. "Many of them have relatives, family members that are among the missing. We've partnered with the Red Cross and International Red Crescent organization. They have a registry and they are listing missing persons."
Operation Haitian Missing Person is the same model he used in 2005 when he launched Katrina Missing Persons, which was successful, Hutchinson said.
"We decided, 'Why reinvent the wheel? Let's use the same model,' " he said.
Hutchinson gave a caution about donating money.
"One thing we warn people (is) don't give a penny to any organization you don't know," he said. "We've compiled four organizations. We don't touch a penny. We have religiously stayed away from money. Anytime you go down that road it creates problems. That's why we started the missing persons thing. It was better because it's cleaner. It's a public service."
Hutchinson said forms to get relatives listed on the registry can be picked up at Lucy Florence.
Among other efforts to help Haiti, cellular-phone service provider Sprint "is waiving text-messaging fees for customers who send mobile donations to a number of short codes and organizations participating in the relief and recovery efforts," a Sprint Web site states.
According to the Web site, the code instructions include:
• Text "HAITI" to "90999" to donate $10 on behalf of the American Red Cross.
• Text "YELE" to "501501" to donate $5 on behalf of the Yéle Haiti Foundation.
• Text "HAITI" to "20222" to donate $10 on behalf of The Clinton Foundation.
• Text "HAITI" to "85944" to donate $10 on behalf of the Rescue Union Mission and MedCorp International.
• Text "HAITI" to "25383" to donate $5 on behalf of the Internal Rescue Committee.
Other telecommunication companies are helping in similar ways. Check your service provider if you wish to help.
The following is information on various local relief efforts:
Kassava Caribbean Restaurant, 8600 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, (310) 385-0248.
TiGeorges' Chicken, 309 Glendale Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 944-1515.
Registry information for Operation Haitian Missing Person:
Lucy Florence Coffee House, 3351 W. 43rd St., Los Angeles, (323) 293-1356.
Related article:
• Haitian Emigrés in L.A. Hope to Help Homeland
Chico C. Norwood is a writer for the L.A. Watts Times.
Photo by Marco Dormino/The United Nations.
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Tigeorges' Chicken is 100% a Haitian restaurant