VOA标准英语2010年-Haitian-Americans Worry, Wonder About

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You will find Haitian-American communities throughout the United States, from New York, to California to Florida.  One of the most prominent is what's known as "Little Haiti" in Miami, Florida.   With so many people missing in Haiti following Tuesday's deadly earthquake, Haitian-Americans are on edge. 

Staff members at the Haitian American Youth Alliance have been hard at work since hearing of Tuesday's deadly 7.0 earthquake, trying to help those with loved ones in Haiti, even while worrying about their own.

There are an estimated 45,000 Americans in Haiti.  Telephone lines are down so word on people's welfare is slow in coming.   

And often when news comes it isn't good.

In Washington Wednesday, Raymond Joseph, Haiti's ambassador to the U.S. called on the world to help, requesting a quadrupling of U.S. aid to his country, already plagued by poverty and years of political instability.

"The way it is, Port-au-Prince has to be rebuilt. And I think a lot of the shanty¹ towns that were crushed should not be rebuilt in Port-au-Prince. Decentralized," Joseph said.

U.S. President Barack Obama pledged a full scale humanitarian² effort. "I have directed my administration to respond with a swift, coordinated³ and aggressive effort to save lives," he said.

From around the world, relief, in the form of supplies and manpower, is on the way.