From Gary Pierre-Pierre in the Haitian Times:

A group of Haitian American leaders, state and local officials met late last night to map out a humanitarian relief efforts as the extent of the damage from a category 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti. The group will send a couple of people in the ground as early as Wednesday for a quick assessment. The goal is to get about 300 people, mostly health care professionals engineers to support foreign government’s efforts. A command center will be set up and then the volunteers will arrive after logistics are set up. The group is hoping to have things in place by this weekend. “Our goal is to do humanitarian work, and not first aid,” said Brooklyn physician, Jean Claude Compas during the conference of scores of people. “The Cuban government, the American government, the Venezuelan government and the Dominican government are all doing rescue work.” The group is calling on people or government to donate water and food supplies. The capital’s infrastructure, already precarious is in shambles. The most telling sign is the near collapse of the gleaming white palace, once a symbol of grandeur in a sea of poverty.