Haiti rocked by magnitude 7.0 earthquake

[Msprintz 25]

at approximately 5:00 pm 1/12/10 the Republic of Haiti was struck by a massive 7.0 earthquake, centered near

Port Au Prince.  Severe damage has already been reported, with high casualties all but assured.

More information can be found here

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100113/ts_nm/us_quake_haiti

[Duke87 1,070]

Well, Haiti is right on the boundary of the Caribbean and North American Plates:

People don't typically think of that region as earthquake-prone (earthquakes in Caribbean paradise?), but I suppose it is. And this one seems to be a particularly nasty one, at that.

[cheese91 9]

Very sad, indeed.

Here's a link to some pictures of the destruction...just horrible. My heart goes out to the people in Haiti right now, that's for sure.

*Some of the pictures may be disturbing*

-91

[toroca 162]

Aside from the initial quake, there have also been (as of this writing) 24 aftershocks of 4.2 or larger.  Ten of those were 5.0 or larger, and one of those was a 5.9. From the sounds of the reports coming out of Port-Au-Prince, it would appear that virtually every major landmark and large building in the city has collapsed, including most of the government buildings and UN buildings, along with an untold number of homes. Tens or hundreds of thousands are probably homeless, and it remains to be seen how high the death toll will climb.  It will be high, though.

[blade2k5 1,523]

They say it's the largest quake to hit the region in quite some time, largest in Haiti in 16 years. No doubt the death toll is going rise as they dig through the rubble looking for survivors and I'm sure aide will be pouring in the next few days/weeks.

[A Nonny Moose 8,263]

Really the icing on the cake following four hurricanes last year. Such a poor country, ravaged by its own leaders, must now desperately need help. Please assist if you can.

[PhilsCafe 8]

That's terrible! I've seen photos and youtube movies from there... it's really really disturbing. Makes you feel so small and lost towards the forces of nature. Looks like international help is already on the way though...

[Larks2242 251]

I heard about that I feel sorry for the country, sounds strange because when i hear the word earthquake i think of the west coast like Califorina or something.

[Frankie B 2]

Originally posted by: blade2k5

They say it's the largest quake to hit the region in quite some time, largest in Haiti in 16 years. No doubt the death toll is going rise as they dig through the rubble looking for survivors and I'm sure aide will be pouring in the next few days/weeks.quote>

200 years actually.

It's absolutely tragic and something a country that has already suffered could do without. The tragedy is yet further compounded by the apparent large number of international dead in the collapsed hotels and UN Peace Keeping HQ.

Haiti devastated by massive earthquake

"All of a sudden everything was just falling apart ... there was no place to hide"

A massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake has struck the Caribbean nation of Haiti.

The extent of the devastation is still unclear but there are fears thousands of people may have died.

Haiti's worst quake in two centuries hit south of the capital Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, wrecking the presidential palace, UN HQ and other buildings.

A "large number" of UN personnel were reported missing by the organisation. Many people have spent the night outside amid fears of more aftershocks.

The Red Cross says up to three million people have been affected.

Describing the earthquake as a "catastrophe", Haiti's envoy to the US said the cost of the damage could run into billions.

A number of nations, including the US, UK and Venezuela, are gearing up to send aid.

The quake, which struck about 15km (10 miles) south-west of Port-au-Prince, was quickly followed by two strong aftershocks of 5.9 and 5.5 magnitude.

The tremor hit at 1653 (2153 GMT) on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said. Phone lines to the country failed shortly afterwards.

There is still no official word on casualties and the extent of the devastation is only now becoming clearer with dawn breaking.

China has already indicated in reports in state media that eight of its peacekeepers are buried and feared dead, with another 10 unaccounted for.

I think hundreds of casualties would be a serious understatement Rachmani Domersant, operations manager, Food for the Poor In pictures: Haitian earthquake Worst of places for a quake UK fire crews aid rescue Haiti: LIVE NEWS

The AFP news agency quoted the Jordanian army as saying three of its peacekeepers had been killed and 21 wounded.

The Brazilian army said four of its peacekeepers were killed and a large number were missing.

A French official told AFP about 200 people were missing in the collapsed Hotel Montana, which is popular with tourists.

There have also been some reports of looting overnight.

Rachmani Domersant, an operations manager with the Food for the Poor charity, told Reuters that overnight the capital was in total darkness.

"You have thousands of people sitting in the streets with nowhere to go. There are people running, crying, screaming.

"People are trying to dig victims out with flashlights. I think hundreds of casualties would be a serious understatement."

Earlier, bodies white with dust could be seen piled on the back of a pick-up truck as vehicles tried to ferry the injured to hospital.

Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and has suffered a number of recent disasters, including four hurricanes and storms in 2008 that killed hundreds.

'Thoughts and prayers'

In a statement issued in New York, the UN said that its local HQ in Haiti had "sustained serious damage along with other UN installations" and "a large number" of personnel were missing.

EYEWITNESS Carel Pedre, TV and radio presenter, Port-au-Prince I saw a lot of people crying for help, a lot of buildings collapsed, a lot of car damage, a lot of people without help, people bleeding. I saw a movie theatre, a supermarket, a cybercafe, an apartment building which collapsed. Now it's dark outside, there is no electricity, all the phone networks are down, so there's no way that people can get in touch with their family and friends. There are aftershocks every 15 to 20 minutes. They last from three to five seconds. The first shock was really strong, people were falling in the streets and buildings collapsed. I didn't see any emergency services, the people at the neighbourhood were trying to help each other. The streets are narrow and there is lot of traffic and everyone is trying to reach family and friends. Traffic now is really difficult. People don't know where to go or where to start. Eyewitness: 'Blood all over them'

UN peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy said it was unclear how many people were in the building.

The head of the UN mission in Haiti, Hedi Annabi, was reported to have been inside and is unaccounted for.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said he was believed to be dead.

The UN's stabilisation mission plays a vital role in ensuring security in Haiti.

Raymond Joseph, Haiti's ambassador to the US, said the presidential palace, the tax office, the ministry of commerce and the foreign ministry had all been damaged, but the airport was intact.

He and Haiti's ambassador to Mexico, Robert Manuel, both said that President Rene Preval and his wife had survived the quake.

The World Bank said its local offices were destroyed but most of the staff were accounted for, Reuters reported.

US President Barack Obama said his "thoughts and prayers" were with the people of Haiti and that he expected "an aggressive, coordinated [aid] effort by the US government".

Venezuela says it will send a 50-strong "humanitarian assistance team".

HAITI COUNTRY PROFILE Half of Caribbean island of Hispaniola History of violence, instability and dictatorship Population of 10 million people Most live on less than $2 a day Democratic rule restored in 2006 Economy in ruins and unemployment is chronic UN peacekeepers deployed - foreign aid seen as vital Massive deforestation has left just 2% forest Storms and hurricanes in 2008 left almost 800 dead Country profile: Haiti World's Haiti aid effort

The Red Cross is dispatching a relief team from Geneva and the UN's World Food Programme is flying in two planes with emergency food aid.

The Inter-American Development Bank said it was immediately approving a $200,000 grant for emergency aid.

The UK said it was mobilising help and was "ready to provide whatever humanitarian assistance may be required".

Canada, Australia, France and a number of Latin American nations have also said they are mobilising their aid response.

Pope Benedict XVI has called for a generous response to the "tragic situation" in Haiti.

'Shouting and screaming'

In the minutes after the quake, Henry Bahn, a visiting official from the US Department of Agriculture, said he had seen houses which had tumbled into a ravine.

"Everybody is just totally, totally freaked out and shaken," said Mr Bahn, who described the sky as "just grey with dust".

He said he had been walking to his hotel room when the ground began to shake.

"I just held on and bounced across the wall," he said. "I just heard a tremendous amount of noise and shouting and screaming in the distance."

Reports on the Twitter message site, which cannot yet be verified by the BBC, expressed the chaos in the wake of the quake.

Tweets from troylivesay spoke of the worst damage being in the Carrefour district, where "many two and three storey buildings did not make it".

In the immediate aftermath of the quake, a tsunami watch was put out for Haiti, Cuba and the Bahamas, but this was later lifted.

quote>

[Easy Bakes 253]

Massive, Massive damage. Many thousands will die.

massive relife efforts underway, Give if you can.

[Meg 368]

I know that the Fairfax (Virginia) County Search and Rescue team is going.  They are the best we have on the east coast.  It's sounds kind of strange to talk about an elite team of people, dogs, and equipment trained to find people in rubble but that's what they are.

[mightygoose 92]

follow this link to a twitpic account from a haitian,

WARNING PICTURES ARE UNEDITTED AND MAY BE DISTURBING TO SOME.

[LINKIE]

[Barbarossa 51]

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  Edited September 8, 2012 by Barbarossa  

[A Nonny Moose 8,263]

I have been watching CBC Newsnet for over an hour. They have no other story. Globe and Mail reports DART has already been deployed. It seems the whole hemisphere is mobilizing.

As an aside: When I was a kid, we would not hear about this for about a week. Small world now.

[Odainsaker 2,137]

Scary...Port-au-Prince is totally destroyed, with its major landmarks, historic cathedral, presidential palace, parliament, hospitals, and national government ministries all collapsed. As those are the substantial buildings, we can only fear what has become of the vast surrounding shantytowns. Communications are in such shambles, the Coast Guard apparently had to fly reconaissance over the Port-au-Prince airport in order to determine if they still had a control tower and functioning runway to receive relief flights. For some small fortunes, the aiport tower did not collapse as some news outlets reported, nor has any tsunami appeared. Let's hope major fires don't start breaking out amidst the urban ruins and aftershocks. The death toll will likely be very high, adding yet more misery to an already impoverish and devstated nation. Water...food...disease...omigosh, this is only going to worsen for the people there.

[Server 1]

My best friends dad was working in Haiti when this happened. I hope he is OK.

edit: Good news, he's OK!

[GMT 389]

Originally posted by: Easy Bakes

Massive, Massive damage. Many thousands will die.

[...]

quote>

Make it hundred thousands

At least that's what CNN quotes Haiti's Prime Minister.

[Barbarossa 51]

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  Edited September 8, 2012 by Barbarossa  

[toroca 162]

Actually, 500,000 is not at all out of the realm of possibility, unfortunately. You can't really compare the 2004 tsunami because that was a very different event. Most of the death toll in that event was due to the tsunami itself and the sheer power of the quake. That quake was more than 100 times as strong as this one was, but it also struck an area that is more familiar with earthquakes, and which takes at least SOME steps to mitigate damage caused by them.

The difference here is that Haiti is not a typically earthquake prone country. They build things to withstand hurricanes instead. And those kinds of buildings do not take the shock of a strike-slip earthquake well at all. They essentially lurch and fall over. The reports I am seeing are estimating that between 40 and 70% of Port-Au-Prince has been flattened. In a city of three million people, that could easily lead to 500,000 dead.

Obviously, we all hope it won't be anywhere near that high, but I am afraid that it will easily top 100,000 based on all the reports coming out of the city from people on the ground there. This will probably end up having been the second or third deadliest earthquake in the past five centuries.

[JanYpe 17]

Originally posted by: toroca

Actually, 500,000 is not at all out of the realm of possibility, unfortunately. You can't really compare the 2004 tsunami because that was a very different event. Most of the death toll in that event was due to the tsunami itself and the sheer power of the quake. That quake was more than 100 times as strong as this one was, but it also struck an area that is more familiar with earthquakes, and which takes at least SOME steps to mitigate damage caused by them.

The difference here is that Haiti is not a typically earthquake prone country. They build things to withstand hurricanes instead. And those kinds of buildings do not take the shock of a strike-slip earthquake well at all. They essentially lurch and fall over. The reports I am seeing are estimating that between 40 and 70% of Port-Au-Prince has been flattened. In a city of three million people, that could easily lead to 500,000 dead.

Obviously, we all hope it won't be anywhere near that high, but I am afraid that it will easily top 100,000 based on all the reports coming out of the city from people on the ground there. This will probably end up having been the second or third deadliest earthquake in the past five centuries.quote>

Just to illustrate these numbers, this summary gives some idea of the population numbers exposed to the quake: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/pager/events/us/2010rja6/index.html

[Msprintz 25]

Originally posted by: toroca

The difference here is that Haiti is not a typically earthquake prone country. They build things to withstand hurricanes instead. And those kinds of buildings do not take the shock of a strike-slip earthquake well at all. They essentially lurch and fall over. The reports I am seeing are estimating that between 40 and 70% of Port-Au-Prince has been flattened. In a city of three million people, that could easily lead to 500,000 dead.

quote>

Even in earthquake prone countries, buildings aren't always up to code.  Take Japan for example, where traditional homes were built to withstand powerful typhoons( they completely pancake in earthquakes ).  What get's destroyed is usually rebuilt and up to code, but what isn't or what hasen't been hit yet is still standing.  Even buildings that pre-date the Kobe quake might not be up to code for a modern earthquake. 

Haiti being located along a fault, should be prepared for the possibility of earthquakes.  However as a 3rd world nation, they lack the resources to bring structures up to code for an earthquake, let alone a major hurricane.  Taking that into account a death toll above 100,000 is a very real possibility. 

 

[Duke87 1,070]

Originally posted by: PhilsCafe

it's really really disturbing. Makes you feel so small and lost towards the forces of nature.quote>

Well, look at the pictures of the collapsed buildings. Notice something they pretty much all have in common?

Masonry. Yes, for hundreds... thousands of years, even, buildings were constructed out of brick, mortar, and stone. Some pretty strong sturdy construction can come from such (just look at all the old cathedrals and other landmarks in Europe that are still standing). Problem is, masonry is brittle and has very poor tensile strength - so building things out of it in areas prone to earthquakes is asking for trouble.

Of course, this has only really been common engineering knowledge for about 50 years or so. Many of the collapsed buildings were obviously older than that. The good news is, now we know a lot more about the mechanics of earthquakes and how to design structures to withstand them. So, presumably, the buildings that go up to replace the fallen ones will hold up better the next time a huge quake strikes, and fewer people will die. ...unfortunately, this doesn't apply for the shantytowns.

Originally posted by: Barbarossa

Take that with a grain of salt. We won't really know anything for a couple of days. One report said as high as 100,000, but another said as high as 500,000. I think that right now everyone locally is in shock and are depressed by sheer circumstance. It could come to the first measure (maybe), but the second one is unlikely, just considering how many perished in the tsunami of 2004. That was truly catastrophic, but the death toll did not exceed 250,000.

We just have to wait.quote>

Well, the rule of thumb would be "everything you hear in the first 24 hours after a major incident is wrong". We live in an age where our ability to report and comment on news has far outpaced our ability to actually gather it.

[mightygoose 92]

[linkie] a more up to date twitpic feed, again some viewers may find disturbing.

estimates for casualties now are around the 30,000 mark, down from the half a mllion 20 hours ago, i still think they could fall.

[A Nonny Moose 8,263]

National Post (Canada)

DART en route. Canadian perspective.

[Duke87 1,070]

The age we live in:

You can send a donation via text message.

text "HAITI" to "90999" and a donation of $10 will be given automatically to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts, charged to your cell phone billquote>

[Barbarossa 51]

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  Edited September 8, 2012 by Barbarossa  

[Easy Bakes 253]

Online Donation for The Red Cross.

Donate  To Haiti Relief Here

[JanYpe 17]

Originally posted by: Easy Bakes

Online Donation for The Red Cross.

Donate  To Haiti Relief Herequote>

Alternatively, consider Doctors Without Borders, who have been involved with medical projects on the island for some time.

Originally posted by: Barbarossa

Originally posted by: JanYpe  Just to illustrate these numbers, this summary gives some idea of the population numbers exposed to the quake: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/pager/events/us/2010rja6/index.htmlquote>

You know, this is something I do not often do, but I feel the need to make my point, which was misunderstood:

Originally posted by: mightygoose estimates for casualties now are around the 30,000 mark, down from the half a mllion 20 hours ago...quote>

Exactly as I expected.  Never trust numbers immediately after a disaster.  Hypothetics are all well and good, but they can easily fall wrong if all factors are not included.

None of this is meant to diminish the catastrophe for poor Haiti.  I simply do not like to see people lose their heads in a fit of excitement.

Barbarossaquote>

I'm not sure where you're seeing anything hypothetical in my post, the link contains a straightforward map of where the earthquake hit in relation to where the pop. numbers are. 

[Barbarossa 51]

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  Edited September 8, 2012 by Barbarossa  

[hyped_up_boy 15]

Four Canadians have been confirmed killed by the quake, including an RCMP officer, and several UN workers have been killed with many more trapped or unaccounted for.