Blaz: City will pitch in to aid Haiti

Mayor de Blasio vowed on Tuesday that the city will step up to aid Haiti after a powerful earthquake struck the impoverished Caribbean nation over the weekend.

Flanked by Haitian-American NYPD Lt. Claude Celestin, the mayor urged New Yorkers to step up to assist Haiti as the death toll from the quake has killed 1,941 to date, and that number continues to rise.

“Folks in Haiti have been through so much, but they’ve always known the people of New York stand with them,” de Blasio said. “We can’t let the people of Haiti feel alone.”

Amid the devastation in his homeland, Celestin shared a Haitian Kreyol saying that reads: “Many hands make the load lighter.”

He said donations for Haitian relief efforts are being accepted at all city police precincts. De Blasio said New Yorkers can also make contributions through NYC Stands With Haiti, a program of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York.

Celestin said his group is asking for donations of supplies including food, tents, medical supplies, feminine hygiene products and other basic necessities.

“We are counting on the generosity and the humanity of all New Yorkers,” said Celestin, who leads the Haitian-American Law Enforcement Fraternal Organization.

The magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck on Saturday, with the epicenter on Haiti’s slender southern peninsula. It was the worst earthquake to hit Haiti since 2010’s quake, which struck much closer to the capital of Port-au-Prince.

The situation was made even worse by Tropical Storm Grace, which hit Monday night. The storm caused widespread flooding and mudslides, cutting off some of the worst-affected areas from the rest of the country.

The Pentagon said Tuesday it formed a joint task force to assist the U.S. Agency for International Development in disaster relief efforts.

“The resilience of our people in Haiti is legendary,” Celestin said. “We are even stronger and more resilient with the help of our brothers and sisters in New York.”

“Together we stand strong even with broken hearts in the spirit of our ancestors,” said Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte (D-Brooklyn).

Eric Adams, Brooklyn’s borough president and the Democratic nominee for mayor, said the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere would be facing a “grave disaster” even without myriad other problems.