I’ve been watching a lot of information, photos and videos about Hurricane Sandy over the past few days, I’m finding it hard to believe the severity of the whole event, I’ve been pretty sheltered here and have only seen the odd flood only coming up to my ankles so to have something as major as say Cyclone Yasi, Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Sandy I’m at a loss to try and understand it. One of the things I find hard to understand is the news coverage.

I’m not the only one having trouble finding information. This reporter also had trouble. You can see a photo and a video. This article is a few days old but shows the water rushing through the streets like a herd of children after some lollies.

Sandy swept through the Caribbean a few days before it hit the East Coast of America and while there was a little news coverage of this area it was only when Sandy threatened America that we began to be inundated. I understand there are a lot more people in America who were affected than in the Caribbean, I do know that and I am totally sympathetic towards them with friends and family there I have seen many pictures and heard reports. I am also aware America is a much more affluent nation than any part of the Caribbean and that when something threatens them the whole world has to take note.

I’m going to take Haiti for instance. They were still recovering from the earthquake in 2010, which had a magitude of 7.0, when Sandy hit. I’m having trouble finding the information as it’s buried by other reports for Sandy but I think they’ve lost 71 people so far. They have lost crops, houses with 54 of the deaths being from that region, they’ve lost electricity and phone lines. They have also lost many tourism dollars as they now have nowhere to put people and nothing to show them. I’ve heard of people continuing to make plans to travel to New York despite Sandy but who is going to Haiti where the money is really needed?

I think the International Red Cross is best placed to help the Caribbean and so I firmly encourage everyone to donate even a few dollars or pounds or even euros directly to the area of your choice or even just an ‘unearmarked’ donation so they can give the money to the place that needs it most. Here is the page so you can donate to the National Society in your country, you should find a tab at the top labelled ‘Donate’, it doesn’t have to be a lot and even just a one off donation will help.

Should you prefer to make a donation to some other organisation it will be appreciated. Haiti is not the only area in the Caribbean in need, it’s just the one first in my mind.