On Tuesday, January 12, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck the Caribbean nation of Haiti.The extent of the devastation is still unclear with no official word on casualties but there are fears thousands of people may have died.

The quake struck about 15 km south-west of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and was quickly followed by two strong aftershocks of 5.9 and 5.5 magnitude.

Phone lines to the country failed shortly after the quake and Port-Au-Prince has been in total darkness overnight. People spent the night in the streets with nowhere to go.

This is Haiti's worst quake in two centuries, wrecking the presidential palace, UN HQ and other buildings. Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and has suffered a number of recent disasters, including four hurricanes and storms in 2008 that killed hundreds.

The Red Cross says up to three million people are affected. UN staff and peacekeepers from a number of countries are reporting loss of life.

CBM/TSW will be responding to this disaster through Baptist World Aid (BWA), Canadian Churches in Action (CCA) and the French Baptist Union.

Your gifts to assist with this huge need are critical to our response. Please also be in prayer for our many Haitian brothers and sisters in Christ here in Canada who are deeply concerned for their family members and friends in Haiti.

To assist with this emergency, click here to donate online, call 905.821.3533, or send a cheque marked "Emergency Relief: Haiti Earthquake" to Canadian Baptist Ministries, 7185 Millcreek Drive, Mississauga, Ontario, L5N 5R4.