In an attempt to offer immediate respite to the hapless residents of the earthquake-struck Haiti, Major Tom Louden, chief of the Salvation Army’s Broward office, which watches over the operations in Haiti, pressed his team into action soon after the disaster.

The assessment team left South Florida a day after the massive quake, taking along with emergency rations, water, medical supplies, and blankets for distribution to the victims of the disasters.

Louden said that after almost three days - with the first plane on January 13 being diverted to Turks and Caicos, the team touched down at the Cap-Haitien International Airport on January 14.

After an excessively long-stretched journey of another 16 hours, owing to the perilous road conditions, the team reached Haiti’s capital on January 15; and found the survivors of the quake in a heart-rending condition.

Louden and the Salvation Army team was deeply moved by the magnitude of the human devastation that the quake had caused.

Presently seeking a satellite communication system, massive amounts of medical supplies, food and water, heavy construction equipment, and a C-130 cargo plane for delivery, Louden has urged the people of the world to pray for the Haiti sufferers. He said: “There is one thing I can ask from everyone who believes in God -- or not -- pray. The people in need, need the prayers of the world. We are open to miracles.”