NPH Haiti

I know I don't have to tell you about Tuesday's earthquake in Haiti. I know it's all over the news, wherever you are. We've been keeping up here in Guatemala too, especially since 1 of the 9 NPH homes is located in Haiti -- the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

We've learned that the 350 children at the NPH home live 15 miles east of the epicenter and are safe. NPH Haiti's pediatric hospital has suffered structural damage but has seen no casualties. NPH Haiti's administrative and volunteer center, however, was located in Petionville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince. The entire building has collapsed and communication has been nearly impossible.

The collapsed building in Petionville housed the entire administrative office, including the office of the NPH Home Correspondent, Erin (a fellow volunteer from the U.S.). Tuesday afternoon, just hours before the earthquake hit, Erin and I had been exchanging several emails as I introduced myself to the other Home Correspondents throughout Central and South America. It's terrifying thinking about that.

We have also just learned that several of CNN's coverage photos are of the NPH building. You can see 2 here (click to view photos 4 and 11), and looking at NPH's blue logo amid the destruction is just unreal.