There are moments in life when a loss of words is the only response one can offer. Such moments are so life-altering that one has to ask, Am I dreaming? Could this really be happening? For the people of Haiti, one such moment in January wasn’t a dream. It was a terrible nightmare – one that is still shockingly real months later.

On January 12, one of the world’s most impoverished countries experienced a natural disaster on a cataclysmic scale rarely seen in human history. At approximately 4:53 p.m. local time, the Caribbean island nation of Haiti was struck by a magnitude-7.0 earthquake centered 10 miles southwest of the capital, Port-au-Prince. In a nation with no real construction standards, untold thousands of people were crushed as structures ranging from schools and shacks to the National Palace collapsed. For days afterward, Haiti continued to experience numerous aftershocks and smaller earthquakes.

On January 27, 15 days after his country was devastated, Haitian President Rene Preval announced that 170,000 bodies had been counted and that 20,000 commercial buildings and 225,000 residences had collapsed or were severely damaged, leaving an estimated 3 million people affected. On February 12, the number of estimated fatalities had grown to 230,000.

News coverage showed victims sleeping on the streets and going without food and water for days. Buildings are gone, homes have collapsed, and land is destroyed. Orphaned children have been shipped to the United States in hopes of finding a family to care for them. Begging and pleading for help, victims of the earthquake are still praying for a miracle – anything that will bring them food or shelter and assure them that their pleas have not gone unanswered.

Many countries around the world have responded to the cries of help issued by the Haitian government. The Florida League of Cities is proud that a number of its member cities have responded to the needs of a country desperate for humanitarian aid by pledging funds and supplies, and even going so far as sending staff to lend a helping hand. Like the victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, many of the survivors of the earthquake in Haiti can only wait for aid to arrive. Florida cities and other organizations are pulling together to ensure that victims are getting medical attention, food and clothing in a reasonable amount of time.

Shortly after the earthquake struck, City of Hollywood Fire Chief Virgil Fernandez, a member of the Florida Task Force 2 Search and Rescue Team, was sent to Haiti to help rescue victims still trapped under debris. He spent several days trying to free victims and help them to safety. “I was in awe. They are people of tremendous resolve,” Fernandez said of the Haitians he encountered. “This earthquake was just something else they had to deal with. They are doing what they can for themselves to get back on their feet.”

The City of Lake Worth formed the Lake Worth Haitian Relief Committee, which has established the Lake Worth Haitian Relief Center. The committee is charged with coordinating volunteers and collecting donations from local residents and businesses. Through the hard work of both the City Commission and the committee, the City of Lake Worth donated $5,000 and collaborated with Missionary Flights International to send 30 physicians, nurses and support personnel on a medical-aid relief flight to St. Nicolas Hospital in St. Marc, Haiti.

The work provided by fire and rescue workers from Florida’s cities is nothing short of a miracle. And while Haitians are benefiting from these efforts, volunteers are also getting something back. Lt. Ed Beardsley of the Delray Beach Fire-Rescue Department describes his experience as rewarding and life-changing. “The devastation was definitely an eye-opener,” he said. “I am truly appreciative of everything I’ve been blessed with.” Beardsley and several members of the fire and rescue team in Delray Beach partnered with the Caring House Project to put together an independent rescue team to go to Haiti and assist with relief efforts.

The Haitian communities in Florida continue to mourn for the loved ones they’ve lost. In the City of Parkland, nine city employees with relatives in Haiti lost family members. Almost incomprehensibly, one employee lost a total of 23 relatives. How does one take the news of the deaths of so many loved ones? Niurose Eugene, the City of Parkland employee who had experienced so much loss, was trying desperately to get back to his native country while still mourning his losses. “I am depressed and my heart is broken,” he said.

The heartache left by the death of a loved will never heal, but through time we pray the burden gets easier to handle. Because so many employees in the City of Parkland have experienced loss, city employees wanted to do something to help. The city has set up a bank account that city employees or anyone else can donate to in order to help affected individuals travel to Haiti to find their families and to help with the relief process.

As president of the Florida League of Cities, Tallahassee Mayor John Marks encourages all of Florida’s cities to take a stand and assist in any way possible.

“In Tallahassee, I have worked to raise awareness of the vital needs of the Haitian people by issuing a proclamation and a press release as a call to action for area residents to support the disaster relief efforts,” Marks said. “You too can play an integral role in delivering the communication, leadership and action that is necessary to make a difference in the lives of the Haitian people during this extraordinarily difficult time.”

Several cities have established Haitian relief efforts through partnerships with the American Red Cross, Food for the Poor, Missionary Flights International, Doctors Without Borders and a multitude of other noteworthy organizations. Below is a compilation of initiatives that Florida cities have implemented to extend the hand of fellowship:

• The City of Belle Glade held a Relief for Haiti Day so residents could donate food and supplies for the earthquake victims in Haiti. The city continues to collect items and is working with World Harvest Missions to ensure that these items make it to Haiti.
• The City of Boca Raton presented a $10,000 check to the American Red Cross on January 26 to support relief efforts in Haiti. In early February, the city donated 14 pallets of bottled water (just over 1,000 bottles) for immediate shipment to Haiti.
• The Town of Bronson has started collecting donations, as well as blankets and sheets, at its Town Hall.
• The Town of Callahan has donated money to Doctors Without Borders for aid to Haitian survivors.
• The City of Coral Gables is collecting donations for the earthquake victims. Cash donations are being sent to the American Red Cross. All of the city’s police and fire stations also continue to accept relief supplies. The city is coordinating relief efforts with Miami-Dade County. As such, the Coral Gables branch of the Miami-Dade Public Library System is an active drop-off site.
• The City of Dania Beach is assisting Communications Cellular d’ Haiti (Viola), a telecommunications firm, to locate covered storage space close to Port Everglades to store 50 “CALs” – cellular sites on wheels that are about the size of a car – that will be shipped to Haiti. The city also is opening drop-off locations for goods to support Haitian relief efforts.
• In the Town of Davie, the Davie Firefighter Benevolent Association, in conjunction with the town, is accepting donations at all fire-rescue stations. The town also is collecting nonperishable food and supplies and has partnered with the American Red Cross to donate clothing.
• The City of Delray Beach is working with the American Red Cross, Missionary Flights International, Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church and Food for the Poor. In addition, the city has established nine drop-off locations to collect food, water and basic supplies.
• The City of Hialeah collected food, water and clothing for the Haitian earthquake victims. The following quantities of supplies and resources have been collected: 32.12 tons of water pallets; 30.69 tons of food pallets; 7.48 tons of clothing pallets; and 1.24 tons of medical pallets. In total, 125 pallets where collected and shipped to Haiti. In addition, the Hialeah Fire Department collected $113,904.84 in a boot-collection effort.
• The City of Hollywood hosted a fundraising rally for Haiti in its Downtown Arts Park that featured performances from four local bands. The funds went to the American Red Cross, and donations of nonperishable items were collected for Food for the Poor. Hollywood Cares Inc. also collected donations for four orphanages and a school in Haiti.
• The Town of Jupiter set up a donation program, with town employees collecting supplies and delivering them to Tequesta Baptist Church.
• The Village of Key Biscayne partnered with the Key Biscayne Community Foundation in a unified community effort to provide emergency assistance. The Natural Disaster Relief Fund was created in 2005 to provide aid for Hurricane Katrina victims and has since sent aid for Hurricane Ike victims in 2008. All of the donations made to the Natural Disaster Relief fund will be divided among the American Red Cross and the Archdiocese of Miami's Haitian Outreach Campaign.
• The Town of Lake Park organized drop-off locations for donations at the Town Hall, the Lake Park Public Library, the Public Works Department and in the Ship’s Store at the Marina. The town has already gathered and dropped a number of items off at First Baptist Church of Lake Park that will be shipped to Haiti.
• The City of Miami worked on several relief efforts, including a massive collection drive, using its fire stations and Neighborhood Enhancement Team centers as drop-off points. The city has partnered with experienced international relief organizations such as Food for the Poor, World Vision, the Red Cross, Catholic Charities, and Camillus House. A team of more than 100 volunteers have worked almost round-the-clock alongside city staff to sort, pack and ship donated items at two warehouses. One of the warehouses serves as a logistics hub equipped with forklifts, pallet jacks and packing supplies, all donated by business owners. The city also has sent relief items to the Haitian people through the U.S. Army and Food for the Poor, among others. The city is working closely with the consul general of Haiti in Miami, Ralph Latortue, who has redirected all donations to the city. City employees also constantly monitor Twitter to aid in getting supplies from as far away as Montreal into Haiti. In addition, the City of Miami has partnered with the City of Chicago Fire Department, providing three refurbished ambulances to assist with the relief efforts. Thanks to private donors the ambulances were stocked with cots, blankets, masks, bandages, gloves, food and other critical supplies.
• The City of North Miami partnered with Miami-Dade County and the National Haitian-American Elected Officials Network on relief efforts. Local efforts included a donation drive for North Miami’s sister city – Delmas, Haiti – that was hosted by the City of North Miami, in partnership with Radio Coin and WLQY 1320 AM. City officials also set up an account for the Haitian-American Elected Official Relief Fund for Haiti at Bank of America. In addition, the North Miami City Council approved a donation of $25,000 to the fund, which will benefit relief organizations backed by the U.S. government that are already working in Haiti. In recognizing the large Haitian-American constituency in the city, North Miami also has partnered with Family Corners Inc. to offer grief counseling for those in South Florida who have suffered a loss as a result of the tragedy, or who are just trying to cope with the unknown.
• The City of Oviedo partnered with First Baptist Church of Oviedo and the community in a disaster relief campaign called “Oviedo Helping Haiti.” The campaign included a partnership with Feed the Children. Efforts focused on a specific supply list, including tents, sleeping bags, flashlights, batteries and medical supplies.
• The City of Pahokee initiated a relief-effort program to collect monetary donations and supplies to be passed on to the United Way, the American Red Cross and World Harvest Missions, which transported them to Haiti.
• The City of Parkland partnered with Food for the Poor and established a collection site at City Hall. The city also provided all the information needed and encouraged residents to donate to the American Red Cross.
• The Town of Penney Farms teamed up with Penney Memorial Church to collect and forward $15,000 to Church World Service and World Vision for Haiti.
• The City of Pompano Beach partnered with Food for the Poor to help the people of Haiti. Two drop-off locations were established so residents could drop off donations and supplies for city personnel to deliver to Food for the Poor, which will transport the goods to Haiti to distribute among the needy.
• City of Tampa employees and residents donated to the American Red Cross at the mayor’s encouragement. In addition, Mayor Pam Iorio met with a cadre of leaders from Tampa's Caribbean and Haitian communities to pledge the city's support in addressing the crisis. A city liaison and the mayor's administrative assistant were appointed to assist with the city’s relief efforts. Several initiatives were in the planning stages, including a memorial for those lost in Haiti and a televised telethon to raise relief funds and supplies.
• The City of Tarpon Springs held the Enchanted Evening of Stars Benefit Performance to benefit Haitian relief efforts through the American Red Cross.
• The Village of Tequesta donated 29 cases of MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) to Ignatius Catholic Church, which transported them to Friends of the Orphans in Miami for shipment to Haiti.
• The City of Sweetwater collected donations and will continue to do so for as long as necessary in order to extend the hand of humanitarianism.
• The City of Vero Beach collected bandages, gauze, surgical tape, splints, antibiotics, rubbing alcohol, betadine solution, dried beans, cereal and cereal bars, rice, peanut butter, soap, toothpaste, hygiene items, washcloths and towels. The non-perishable food and first aid supplies will be airlifted by Missionary Flights International to Haiti.
• The City of Weston teamed up with Food for the Poor by opening all three of its fire stations for collections and delivery of donations and supplies.
• The City of Winter Park, in partnership with the Salvation Army Orlando Area Command, organized an emergency supply drive to assist with the relief and recovery efforts in Haiti.