The 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday has affected millions.
Its reach has also extended to Kosciusko County and the surrounding area.
Frank Courtois is originally from Haiti. He came to the United States in 1985 through the help of what is now Touch of Life Church in Warsaw.
Courtois works for the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department in the jail. In his free time he is an assistant coach with the Warsaw Community High School boys soccer team.
Since Tuesday, Courtois has spent every free minute he can in front of a television.
Courtois still has four brothers and two sisters who live in an area of Port-Au-Prince that he can't get reach by telephone."I was scheduled to visit (Haiti) next month," said Courtois. "Now I don't know what's going to happen."
Courtois said there is a small contingent of Haitian-born Americans living in Northern Indiana with the most sizable contingent living in Fort Wayne.
Chad McAtee flew into Port-Au-Prince Tuesday morning before the earthquake hit.
McAtee, the senior pastor with Sweetwater Assembly of God in North Manchester, went to Haiti for a conference and to teach.
He, along with another missionary worker, had hoped to help build a well while he was there.
According to Sweetwater's youth pastor, Tim Dale, McAtee rode on the back of a truck into the Dominican Republic where he boarded a flight back to the US today.
Silver Lake's Jennifer Wagner and her husband Dwight are currently in Haiti, according to friends, but they can't be reached at this time.
The Church of God in Columbia City had several members preparing to head down to Haiti.
Church member Steve Mossburg was already in Haiti with a group and was able to send an e-mail back to the Church. In the e-mail, Mossburg said the plane they arrived into Haiti on landed 30 minutes early and that his group was the first out.
Mossburg said his group had just arrived to the guest house where they were staying when the earthquake hit.
"At first, as I was standing on the second floor balcony and a plane had just departed, I thought the slight vibration was from the plane. That was quickly not the case as the whole upper floor started undulating likes waves on the ocean," said Mossburg in the e-mail.
Currently, the Kosciusko County chapter of the American Red Cross is only accepting monetary donations for relief in Haiti. Those donating must specify their donation is meant for Haiti.
Checks can be dropped off at or mailed to 320 N. Buffalo St., Warsaw, IN 46580.
For more information about what the Red Cross is doing nationally, visit www.redcross.org
Sacred Heart Catholic Parish has had a sister parish in Haiti for 22 years.
St. Nicolas is in Kenscoff, which is about 12 miles southwest of Port-Au-Prince. There is a school there, Pope John Paul 11 School, which has about 750 students.
Sacred Heart parishioner Debbie Reith said that some of those students walk up to three hours a day to get to the school.
Reith, who serves on the committee that deals with St. Nicolas, said no one has been able to contact anyone at the church or the school.
Reith said Sacred Heart will be taking collections that we will be sent to St. Nicolas.
"Probably be a week to two weeks before we know how soon we can get funds," said Reith.
"They will get through this," said Reith of the Haitian people. "They are a hopeful people. They are a resilient people. But I can't imagine how hard it is. People just need to help. That's the bottom line."
To donate through Sacred Heart, call 574-267-5842 or drop donations off at the church office on Lindberg Street in Warsaw.
Joe Wilkey, World Compassion Network, said they are working on a plan to provide relief.
A representative from the WCN will travel to the Dominican Republic Sunday then drive into Haiti to assess the situation.
Churches and groups that are organizing relief efforts for victims in Haiti can contact the Times-Union at 574-267-3111, Ext. 246, to list those efforts.
