FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Help is steadily arriving in Haiti, but it is costly and conditions there are creating a challenge for those who are responding. That’s not stopping the American Red Cross (ARC), however. The nonprofit organization is busy coordinating emergency shipments from the United States and its other locations within the hemisphere.

Officials estimate that as many as 100,000 died and a total of three million were affected when a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the island nation at 3:53 (Central Standard Time) on Tuesday afternoon.

Centered 15 miles west-southwest of the capital city of Port-au-Prince, the earthquake flattened buildings, destroyed infrastructure and left many roads impassable. Several strong aftershocks have been felt since the initial quake was recorded.

The Red Cross has so far released $10 million for earthquake relief. Leisle Mims, executive director of the American Red Cross Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter, said, “The best way people can help is by donating money. People want to donate used clothing and canned goods, but the priority needs are food, water, shelter and medical help. We can buy those items in bulk and send them over. The (money) will be increased as we see the need.”

When interviewed Thursday, Mims said although the Port-au-Prince airport was open, there was no fuel there for return flights, and the tarmac had reached capacity. The Red Cross plans to airlift supplies to the Dominican Republic (which shares Hispaniola with Haiti) and truck them into the devastated areas until the situation changes.

“It is difficult,” she said. “Logistics on the ground is a nightmare.”

ARC already had 15 staff members in Haiti when the earthquake occurred, and they provided the group’s initial assessment. Five others have since been added to the response team.

The International Red Cross/Red Crescent Society (ICRC) has dispatched 15 of its own staffers to the region, along with 40 tons of supplies, mostly medicine and water purification products shipped from Geneva, Switzerland, according to Mims.

Mims said 5,000 family emergency sheltering kits are being sent to Haiti from ARC’s warehouse in Panama. The kits contain tarps, hygiene items and cooking sets.

ARC is also reaching out to help the injured who may need blood. More than 100 units of blood and blood products were shipped to the U.S. Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Fla. and then on to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to help Haitian evacuees and patients.

Other Red Cross partners have deployed a mobile hospital, medical teams and 40 staff to help with sheltering, providing water, sanitation and telecommunications.

It’s easy to help the cause, Mims said. You can donate to the American Red Cross International Response Fund at www.redcross.org, or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS. Donors may designate their gifts to Haiti relief.

The American Red Cross has already raised more than $10 million earmarked for earthquake relief in Haiti through text messages. Mims said anyone can donate $10 now by texting HAITI to 90999 on their cellular phone. It will show up as a one-time charge on your bill.

Word about the unique donation method spread quickly through Web sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

“With (Hurricane) Katrina, social networking wasn’t what it is today, so this is an amazing experience,” Mims said.

The Internet is also helping Americans and others reconnect with family members in Haiti through a special site. Clicking on www.icrc.org/familylinks enables people in Haiti and outside the country to search for and register the names of relatives missing since the earthquake. In the first 24 hours, more than 6,000 people were registered.

Those who prefer sending a check or money order through regular mail may do so. The addresses are American Red Cross Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter, P.O. Box 1764, Mobile, AL 36633 and American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013.