Church aid agencies are responding to the humanitarian disaster in Haiti after the Caribbean nation was struck by a devastating earthquake leaving countless people homeless and up to 200,000 dead.

The quake, measuring 7.0 on the Richter Scale and the worst in two centuries, struck 15km southwest of the capital Port-au-Prince at about 5pm local time on 12 January.

ACT Alliance, a global network of churches and related agencies, reported that offices, hotels, houses and shops collapsed, while the presidential palace lay in ruins.

World Council of Churches' general secretary the Rev Olav Fykse Tveit issued a statement from the grouping's Geneva headquarters urging solidarity with the people of Haiti.

"Once again they have experienced the great burdens of anguish, damage, and death because of a natural catastrophe," Mr Tveit said.

CWS appeal

Meanwhile, Christchurch-based Christian World Service which has partner groups in Haiti has launched an immediate appeal for donations to help victims of the devastating earthquake.

Haiti is already the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere with vast slums of shanties and people living well below the poverty line.

CWS staff member Nick Clarke visited Haiti in May last year and said that the earthquake was “basically a case of already kicking a dog that is already down and was kicked around last year by the hurricanes.”

A seasoned aid worker, Nick Clarke said that of all the places he had visited in recent years Haiti was the one that “least needs or deserves anything like this.

“The reality for many Haitians is that they are already trapped in what is a very harsh form of poverty,’’ he said.

Housing, food, health care and education were already lacking before the earthquake struck.

Outside of the city areas the impact was likely to be worse with many outlying areas lacking even basic infrastructure.

“There are a lots of people living in the hill areas which are hard to get at and very prone to slips as a result of erosion caused by felling of the forests over the years.

“I was there at the end of the rainy season and flying in you could see lots of brown topsoil floating out to sea as you came into Haiti.”

He expected that the CWS partner group of ICKL would take some time to get a full picture of the damage in outlying areas but at the same time the need for relief support was immediate and urgent.

Donations can be made at www.cws.org.nz , PO Box 22 652, Christchurch 8061 or Tel 0800 74 73 72.