When a country has a large earthquake that destroys building, trapping thousands of people in the rubble, it is as if the country has had a stroke: time is brain. Fast help can make a major difference.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. Haiti has had a huge earthquake. News reports paint a grim picture: the capital city of Port au Prince largely destroyed, possible death tolls in the 100,000s, UN Headquarters collapsed with UN personnel trapped inside. Port au Prince is a city that grew fast with little oversight of building codes and the quality of construction. In a major earthquake, poor construction means death.

Do something today to help. Don't wait.

Here are a couple of Flickr photosets showing the damage:

• Terremoto Haiti
• Terremoto en Haiti con fotos enviadas por usuarios de Twitter

The Maproom is collecting links to online maps intended to help with disaster relief. Here is a Goole Earth KML of a map I made of the area in 2006 in connection with the Haitian elections. (Or you can view the map online at CommunityWalk. It has some relevant landmarks such as the Presidential Palace and the airport.

Do send money to one of the charities, such as the Red Cross, that is sending aid. But don't stop there. 

Your ideas can be more valuable than your cash. Think of innovative was to save these people.