Temple City Native Killed When Her Home Collapsed in Haiti Quake
By Temple City Tribune
Published: Monday, January 18th, 2010
Victoria DeLong was a cultural affairs officer at the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (State Department)
One of the first Americans reported killed by the earthquake in Haiti was apparently a Foreign Service officer when her building collapsed.
Victoria J. DeLong, 57, died Tuesday, according to State Department reports. DeLong, a 27-year diplomat and native of Temple City, was a cultural affairs officer and had been stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince since February of last year.
Family members on Friday released a brief statement on her death.
“Victoria cared deeply for her family and friends. She was a wonderful sister, friend, and humanitarian; she was cheerful and full of life in all her endeavors and accomplishments,” they said
The State Department praised DeLong in a notice sent to employees following her death.”In one of the most challenging environments in the world, she dedicated herself to educational and cultural exchange between the people of Haiti and the people of the United States.”
As of Friday, the U.S. Embassy said it had made contact with around 1,000 of the 45,000 American citizens believed to be in Haiti before the deadly 7.0 earthquake struck last Tuesday evening.
Haitian Fulbright Exchange grantees posing on July 7, 2009 with Cultural Affairs Officer, Victoria DeLong and Fulbright Alumni. The students departing for study in the United States included Fulbright Students and Scholar Program and Fulbright Faculty Development Program, Teaching Excellence Achievement (Tea), and the Global Undergraduate Exchange (UGRAD) scholars. (State Department)
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