Port-au-Prince, Haiti—Numerous Baptist groups have mobilized to assess disaster relief needs after the largest earthquake in more than 200 years rocked Haiti the evening of Jan. 12.

The initial Southern Baptist disaster relief efforts are being led by the Florida Baptist Convention, who have had ministry relationships in Haiti for more than 20 years and currently have six staff members who live and work in the country, according to Jim Brown, U.S. director for Baptist Global Response. The International Mission Board does not have long-term personnel stationed in the country.

Meanwhile, Kentucky Baptists are on standby to respond when called upon. Last week, the North American Mission Board’s disaster relief office organized an emergency consultation with state disaster relief directors to coordinate response to the catastrophe, Brown reported.

An assessment team organized by Baptist Global Response, IMB, NAMB and state convention disaster relief directors traveled to Haiti this week. Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief Associate Coy Webb is among the five team members in the country. They are working with Haitian Baptists to identify immediate needs that must be addressed and will draft mid- and long-term plans for an ongoing relief effort.

Once a detailed plan is in place, Webb said Kentucky Baptist disaster relief volunteers will be needed to help with the disaster recovery. Teams potentially could be needed within a few weeks, but there is no way to know for certain at this point, he added.

“Our first team will be limited to only a few members from our specially trained international rapid response team,” Webb said. “Then, in the coming months, there will be tremendous needs and opportunities for Kentucky Baptist disaster relief volunteers to respond. The most helpful thing for our trained volunteers to do right now is to pray for the effort and wait until we are able to communicate the need for teams.”

At that point, the recovery effort likely will include water purification, medical teams, crisis counseling, evangelistic outreach and children’s ministry teams, Webb pointed out, though interested volunteers should be prepared that the experience will require “extreme roughing it.”

Trained Kentucky Baptist disaster relief volunteers interested in serving on a team once opportunities become available are being asked to express their interest by sending an e-mail to BaptistMen@KyBaptist.org. Volunteers should indicate their availability, contact information and what type of volunteer work they are able to do.

The 7.0 magnitude tremor hit 10 miles from the center of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital city of 3 million people, at around 5 p.m. Jan. 12, according to news reports. One source said the quake could be felt more than 200 miles away. The earthquake triggered a tsunami watch for Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba.

Multiple strong aftershocks continued to rock the country after the initial tremor, said David Brown, who with his wife, Jo, directs Baptist Global Response work in the Americas. Reports indicate infrastructure and many buildings suffered catastrophic damage. The main airport was temporarily closed; power and communications have been down and security remains a serious concern. Specialized search and rescue teams and military units from several countries have been rushed into Haiti to help secure the situation and coordinate relief efforts.

The Red Cross estimated that 3 million people were affected by the earthquake, roughly one in three Haitians. The Caribbean nation has been afflicted by extreme poverty and political instability for decades, and poor infrastructure and virtually non-existent building standards likely worsened the disaster’s impact.

Other Baptist groups also are making initial assessments and pledging money, resources and manpower to the massive relief effort in Haiti.

Baptist World Aid has pledged $20,000 in emergency funds for Haiti, the head of the relief-and-development arm of the Virginia-based Baptist World Alliance announced last week. Meanwhile, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, the American Baptist Churches USA and the North American Baptist Fellowship all are gearing up for relief and development work.

BWAid director Paul Montacute said grants of $10,000 each were committed to the Baptist Convention of Haiti, a group of 110 churches and 82,000 members established in 1964, and the Haiti Baptist Mission, a network of 330 churches and schools founded in 1943.

Montacute said BWAid will be launching an appeal for additional funds. A link on the BWA Web site directs online donations toward disaster relief.

“We must make a generous response to this massive catastrophe,” Montacute said.

Lance Wallace, CBF’s director of communications, said that group’s response to the earthquake would be long-term recovery and not search and rescue. He said volunteers looking to serve through CBF will receive assignments after the initial emergency phase has passed.

Apart from donating to disaster relief funds, concerned individuals can help greatly by joining in focused prayer for Haiti’s 9 million people, more than 80 percent of whom live below the poverty line, David Brown indicated.

“Please pray for us as we assess and monitor the situation in Haiti,” he said. “Please pray for victims and their families. Pray for wisdom as responses are initiated.”

Compiled from reports by Associated Baptist Press, Baptist Global Response and the Kentucky Baptist Convention