Tonight at 7PM at Holy Cross Cathedral (1400 Washington Street – South End)

from Rep Linda Dorcena Forry

I ask everyone to pray for those in Haiti and those of us here.  All of us and all the great friends of Haiti we have in Massachusetts are affected by these horrible events.

For those of us with family and friends in Haiti- all of us are understandably upset- but we need to stay calm.  This is going to be a monumental rebuilding effort and the U.S. can and should take the lead.  This is the time to step up- especially Haitian Americans- and respond to a great human tragedy.  We have to do it earnestly and quickly, but it’s also important that our response be well-planned and carried out.

Haiti and Haitians are a resilient people and we will pull through this.  Now, the work begins in trying to understand and piece together the total need. President Obama and Secretary Clinton have made an initial indication that the US response will be robust.  In addition, we have President Bill Clinton who is currently serving as UN Special Envoy to Haiti.  I trust these three will lead us well. We must make sure they do.

Later today I am hopeful that the first US planes carrying aid will touchdown in Haiti.  Already we can see staging areas in Miami are busy as supplies are loaded and sorted.  I, along with my colleagues in the National Haitian American Elected Officials Network, will be in touch with the White House later today as we start to organize the recovery effort.  On an individual basis, we can all do something to help.  Tonight we will begin that effort.

At 7 PM, tonight, January 13, I invite you to a meeting at the Holy Cross Cathedral in the South End (1400 Washington Street) where we will begin organizing the local recovery effort.  At the meeting, aide organizations, government officials, Haitian Americans and concerned citizens will both mourn the devastation and begin the recovery.  I hope you can join us.  We will discuss search and rescue operations and have details regarding various funds where we can start channeling supplies to aid in the recovery.  We will have more details regarding the meeting as the day continues.

In the meantime, please keep Haiti in your prayers. This country has been through so much already and the coming weeks may be its most difficult yet.