Thousands are being buried in mass graves after Tuesday’s earthquake in Haiti. While foreign aid trickles to the island amid chaos New Yorkers are mourning the dead and celebrating those who survived.
The Obama administration has announced that Haitians who are in the United States illegally will be allowed to stay up to 18 months. Hundreds of U.S. troops have arrived in Haiti so far, and thousands more are expected. From New York, 80 firefighters and policemen were sent to sift through the rubble in Haiti’s capital, but because of airport back-ups they were stranded last night at an upstate hotel. "Everybody here wants to go tonight," said Lt. Kenneth Beatty, an officer from Brooklyn. "We've used the time wisely. We're here going through drills and classes all day to reinforce the training." Officials are still saying the best way to help is by donating. So far $5 million has been raised through a text-messaging campaign that benefits the Red Cross. 311 calls directed to the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City have raised over $325,000.
New York Haitians gathered for a special mass held at a Brooklyn church. "It was important that we all show solidarity," said one churchgoer. "That everyone come together not only to pray for those who have gone but also those who are now suffering." Meanwhile, two New York men who made it home safe described the scene in Port-au-Prince: "No doctors, no ambulances, no medical help, people just walking around bleeding from the head and nobody could do anything for anybody," said Anthony Naimoli. Michael Keilty was in Haiti working on a project to improve the nation’s infrastructure. "It's beyond that now. First things first, they've got to just rebuild today, forget about tomorrow," he told NY1. "Nobody can think about tomorrow."
