'We will be there for our Haitian brothers and sisters': Turner appeals for prayers in light of Haiti earthquake

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has appealed for prayers for the Caribbean nation of Haiti after it was devastated by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake on Aug. 14.

"Please keep in your prayers the people of #Haiti,” Turner tweeted. “They have experienced a lot and as Mayor, we have appreciated the help they have provided in our time of need. In return, we will be there for our Haitian brothers and sisters who call Houston home as they help their families."

NPR reported that the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault system, one of two that Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic, caused the Aug. 14 quake as it did the 2010 disaster.

At least 1,000 people were killed in the latest quake, NPR reported.

Earthquakes – along with hurricanes – are just some of the troubles Haitians worry about.

Researchers told NPR that while it’s too early to determine the long-term effects of the 2021 quake, Haiti has yet to turn a significant corner in its dual efforts to bounce back from the 2010 disaster and 2016’s Hurricane Matthew.

The country is also barely a month removed from the July assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.

USA Today reported that the Aug. 14 earthquake occurred 80 miles from the capital City of Port-au-Prince.

In addition to a death toll that is likely to rise and could possibly rival the one from 2010, at least 10,000 residences were either destroyed or damaged, Haiti's civil protection agency reported.

A Child’s Hope, a Houston nonprofit organization that was started in response to the quake of a decade ago, told KHOU that it’s working to help children orphaned by the latest tragedy.

Founder and CEO Raleigh Jenkins said he plans to travel to Haiti in the coming weeks.