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**Shiloh** · January 12, 2010, 05:56 PM

Re: Magnitude 7.0 - HAITI REGION

Source: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2433581

Magnitude 7.0 earthquake slams Haiti

Reuters Published: Tuesday, January 12, 2010

WASHINGTON -- A major magnitude 7.0 quake hit the impoverished country of Haiti Tuesday and prompted a tsunami watch for parts the Caribbean, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said Tuesday.

The epicenter of the quake, which was initially reported off the coast, was located inland, only 16 km from the capital Port-au-Prince and was very shallow at a depth of only 6.2 miles.

A major earthquake, of magnitude 7 or higher, is capable of causing widespread and heavy damage. According to Associated Press reports a hospital has collapsed in Port au Prince.

The tsunami center said the watch was in effect for Haiti, the neighboring Dominican Republic, with which it shares the island of Hispaniola, Cuba and the Bahamas.

"A destructive widespread tsunami threat does not exist based on historical earthquake and tsunami data," the center said. "However, there is the possibility of a local tsunami that could affect coasts located usually no more than a 100 km ) from the earthquake epicenter."

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

**sharon sanders** · January 12, 2010, 06:05 PM

Re: Magnitude 7.0 - HAITI REGION -

Raymond Joseph, Haiti's ambassador to the United States, told CNN he had little information about the extent of damage from the quake, which had a reported magnitude of 7.0. But he said the suffering inflicted on the impoverished Caribbean nation was likely to be "catastrophic."

snip

The Associated Press reported that a hospital had collapsed.

snip

7.0 quake hits Haiti; 'Serious loss of life' expected - CNN.com

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/12/haiti.earthquake/index.html

A major earthquake struck southern Haiti on Tuesday, knocking down buildings and power lines and inflicting what its ambassador to the United States called a catastrophe for the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation.

**Hogweed** · January 12, 2010, 06:27 PM

Re: Magnitude 7.0 - HAITI REGION - Ambassador to US says "likely catastrophic"

Does not look good :-(

PAGER

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/pager/events/us/2010rja6/index.html

USGS Earthquake Hazards Program, responsible for monitoring, reporting, and researching earthquakes and earthquake hazards

Attached Files

**sharon sanders** · January 12, 2010, 06:46 PM

Re: Magnitude 7.0 - HAITI REGION - Ambassador to US says "likely catastrophic"

I just spoke to a friend who is from Haiti and has family living there now. She says she can not get through. She verifies that all communications are shut down. None of her family living in the US can reach by phone anyone in Haiti. She adds that it is hard to get a connection in normal circumstances.

**Treyfish** · January 12, 2010, 06:49 PM

Re: Earthquake Magnitude 7.0 - HAITI REGION - Ambassador to US says "likely catastrophic"

<nyt_headline version="1.0" type=" "> Haitian Earthquake Causes Hospital Collapse </nyt_headline>

<nyt_byline version="1.0" type=" "> By LIZ ROBBINS
</nyt_byline> Published: January 12, 2010
 A powerful earthquake of 7.0 magnitude rocked Haiti just before 5 p.m. Eastern time, 10 miles southwest from the highly populated capital of Port-au-Prince, according to the United States Geological Survey, causing widespread damage and panic with the potential for a high number of casualties in the impoverished Caribbean country.
The New York Times

There were two aftershocks — of 5.5 and 5.9 magnitude — that followed in the last hour, and more were expected, according to David Wald, a seismologist with the survey.
“The main issue here will probably be shaking,” Mr. Wald said, “and this is an area that is particularly vulnerable in terms of construction practice, and with a highly population density. There could be a high number of casualties.”
The city has about 2 million people, according to National Geographic.
According to several news reports, a large hospital in the capital had collapsed, and people were screaming in streets full of rubble.
Elsie St. Louis-Accilien, the director of the Haitian Americans United for Progress in Queens, N.Y., said that she was able to reach the director of Ofatma hospital, in Port-au-Prince. “They are trapped inside,” Ms. St. Louis-Accilien said in a telephone interview. “They were pretty shaken, but they were relieved to be alive.” She said that the director said that there was “a lot of smoke, a lot of dust,” and that her phone has been ringing nonstop. “People are calling me, elected officials are calling, asking what we can do.”
Haiti, by far the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, has been beset by natural disasters for most of its recent history. The island is struck by an annual series of hurricanes and is particularly vulnerable to storm-related disasters because much of its forests have been chopped down and used for fuel, leaving the country with very little tree cover. In one of its hardest hit years, 2004, Haiti was rocked by powerful Hurricane Jeanne, which caused untold destruction and killed 3,000 people.
Since 2008, the island has been struck by at least three severe hurricanes — Gustav, Hanna and Ike — that have wrought nearly a billion dollars worth of damage and killed 800 people. All of this has taken place against the backdrop of food riots, health crises and near constant government instability and upheavals.
Raymond Joseph, Haiti’s ambassador to the United States, said in an interview on CNN that he had little information about the extent of damage but said the suffering inflicted on the was likely to be “catastrophic.”
Mr. Joseph said that the one official he had reached — identified by The Associated Press as President Rene Preval’s chief of staff, Fritz Longchamp — told him that houses had crumbled “on the right side of the street and the left side of the street.”
An Associated Press videographer saw the wrecked hospital in Petionville, a hillside Port-au-Prince district that is home to many diplomats and wealthy Haitians. And a United States government official reported seeing houses that had tumbled into a ravine.
Delores Clark, a spokeswoman for the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, said that scientists were quickly conducting water level measurements and other analyses to determine whether the quake set off a tsunami in other parts of the Caribbean. As of 6 p.m. Eastern, they had not detected one, she said.
Because the fault that likely caused the earthquake is on land, rather than in the water, Mr. Wald said, there was less of a probability of a tsunami. But such an earthquake likely would mean more damage to the city and its surrounding areas, he added.

nytimes.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/13/world/americas/13haiti.html

**Treyfish** · January 12, 2010, 06:55 PM

Re: Earthquake Magnitude 7.0 - HAITI REGION - Ambassador to US says "likely catastrophic"

MADISON (WKOW) -- UW travelers posted a blog Tuesday afternoon, saying they are safe in Haiti. They say the earthquake had minimal effects in Bayonnaise where the group is currently staying.
"We are ok! Don't worry, it was a mere tremor here. But please do keep an eye on the news for PAP airport as our travel plans may be affected."
27 News reporter Jeff Angileri will have more information on 27 News at
UPDATE: UW student group has members in quake-stricken Haiti

Posted: <script type="text/javascript"> wnRenderDate('Tuesday, January 12, 2010 6:21 PM EST', '', true); </script>Jan 12, 2010 6:21 PM 10pm.
*******
MADISON (WKOW) -- 27 News has learned that a student-led non-profit group from the University of Wisconsin has members in the quake-stricken country of Haiti.
A spokesperson for the group, "Engineers Without Borders - UW," told 27 News that they are not sure of the exact number of students and possibly faculty members who are in Haiti... saying only that they have been in Haiti since Sunday.
On the group's website, it lists that a Haiti Trip was scheduled from Saturday, January 9 until Friday, January 15.
The group lists their mission as "to design and implement environmentally and economically sustainable solutions to community issues."

http://www.wkowtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11811418

**Treyfish** · January 12, 2010, 07:06 PM

Re: Earthquake Magnitude 7.0 - HAITI REGION - Ambassador to US says "likely catastrophic"

<table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td>Published: Jan 12, 2010
</td> <td id="storyOptions" align="right">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>   Humongous Quake In Haiti (Video) Tsunami Warning In Carribean[COLOR=#0000FF ! important][COLOR=#0000FF ! important]Haiti[/COLOR][/COLOR]
has been devasted by the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the Caribbean. The 7.3 Magnitude earthquake created absolute chaos in the streets, filling the sky with grey ash with buildings collapsing all around. It was a shallow quake, meaning it will cause more damage to the Earths crust on the surface
According to reports, the first earthquake struck with the power of 7.0 - 7.3 magnitude. Shortly after two more powerful quakes shook Haiti at 5.9 magnitude, and 5.5 magnitude according to the USGS.

postchronicle.com

http://www.postchronicle.com/news/original/article_212278322.shtml

**Hogweed** · January 12, 2010, 07:08 PM

Re: Earthquake Magnitude 7.0 - HAITI REGION - Ambassador to US says "likely catastrophic"

Given that the well built Presidential Palace has reportedly collapsed and that the USGS estimates that 2 million people are in an area where even earthquake resistant buildings would suffer moderate/heavy damage, I fear horrendous casualties. The quake was just too close to the surface

**Treyfish** · January 12, 2010, 07:09 PM

Re: Earthquake Magnitude 7.0 - HAITI REGION - Ambassador to US says "likely catastrophic"

Presidential palace collapses in Haiti quake 

From correspondents in Port Au Prince
From: <cite> AFP </cite>
January 13, 2010 10:54AM

HAITI'S presidential palace has collapsed in a major earthquake which has hit the impoverished country. 

  The 7.0 quake collapsed buildings in the capital Port-au-Prince and buried residents under rubble, a Reuters reporter in the city said.
He said he saw dozens of dead and injured people in the rubble, which blocked streets in the city.
The epicenter of the quake was located inland, only 16km from the capital Port-au-Prince and was very shallow at a depth of only 10km.
It prompted a tsunami watch for parts the Caribbean, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
"Everything started shaking, people were screaming, houses started collapsing ... it's total chaos," Reuters reporter Joseph Guyler Delva said.
"I saw people under the rubble and people killed."

 A local employee for the US charity Food for the Poor reported seeing a five-storey building collapse in Port-au-Prince, a spokeswoman for the group, Kathy Skipper, told Reuters.
Another Food for the Poor employee said there were more houses destroyed than standing in Delmas Rd, a major thoroughfare in the city.
Panic-stricken residents filled the streets desperately trying to dig people from rubble or seeking missing relatives as dark fell shortly after the quake.
"People were screaming 'Jesus, Jesus' and running in all directions," Mr Delva said.
A major earthquake, of magnitude 7 or higher, is capable of causing widespread and heavy damage.
There was no immediate report of casualties.
The tsunami centre said the watch was in effect for Haiti, the neighbouring Dominican Republic, with which it shares the island of Hispaniola, Cuba and the Bahamas.
"A destructive widespread tsunami threat does not exist based on historical earthquake and tsunami data," the centre said.
"However, there is the possibility of a local tsunami that could affect coasts located usually no more than a 100km from the earthquake epicenter."
The quake was quickly followed by two nearby, strong aftershocks of initial magnitude of 5.9 and 5.5.

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/presidential-palace-collapses-in-haiti-quake/story-e6frfku0-1225818736289
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**Treyfish** · January 12, 2010, 07:15 PM

Re: Earthquake Magnitude 7.0 - HAITI REGION - Ambassador to US says "likely catastrophic"

Earthquake Hits Haiti
by Garry Pierre-Pierre

Garry Pierre-Pierre

A major earthquake shook the capital city to its core and left Port-au-Prince into a smoke haze.

At this moment, the number of death and people injured are not known. People could be heard screaming and crying. The metropolitan area is home to two million people in an area originally planned for 200,000. Houses are poorly constructed with lax codes, if any.

“The earthquake registered at 7.0- with an aftershock of 5.9. The palace has been severely damaged said, Frank Williams, national director for World Vision in Haiti.

“This is a catastrophe of major proportions, said Raymond Joseph, Haitian ambassador to the United States, on CNN The Situation Room. “The place is really bad now.”

Joseph made a plea for the world to come to Haiti’s rescue at this moment of intense grief.

An Associated Press videographer saw the wrecked hospital in Petionville, near Port-au-Prince, and a U.S. government official reported seeing houses that had tumbled into a ravine.

Don Blakeman, an analyst at the USGS in Golden, Colorado, said such a strong quake carried the potential for widespread damage.

"I think we are going to see substantial damage and casualties," he said.

Blakeman said Haiti had already been hit by many aftershocks, the two largest registering magnitude 5.9 and 5.5.

"We expect more aftershocks because this is a large, shallow earthquake," he said.

http://www.haitiantimes.com/pages/fu...ome_news_right

**Hogweed** · January 12, 2010, 07:19 PM

Re: Earthquake Magnitude 7.0 - HAITI REGION - Ambassador to US says "likely catastrophic"

BBC reporting Red Cross in VHF comms with staff in Port-au-Prince. 15 Red Cross staff reported safe but they say city dark with no power, many fires, damage extensive, many buildings in immediate area of Red Cross HQ destroyed. Situation very grim.They are beginning search and rescue.

**Treyfish** · January 12, 2010, 07:27 PM

Re: Earthquake Magnitude 7.0 - HAITI REGION - Ambassador to US says "likely catastrophic"

12 Jan 2010 18:43:00

Earthquake collapsed buildings in Haiti; Many casualties feared
PORT .- Tuesday's earthquake and its aftershocks caused consequential Tuesday the collapse of many buildings in the capital Port au Prince. Experts fear that many other people. The Caribbean countries are on alert for tsunami.

Hatit? ambassador in the U.S., Raymond Joseph Alcide, and speaks of a "major disaster" and has told CNN that "may be the worst day in history" of the island that Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic, where also felt the quake strongly.

It has also asked for international assistance. According to AP reports, quoted by CNN, the hospitals are overwhelmed. Moreover, communications are cut in the capital.

The houses fell to both sides of the streets

The ambassador said he has tried to contact officials of his government and has been able to talk to one who has told him "that the houses fell on either side of the street."

The quake was the cast at 21.53 GMT (22.53 in mainland Spain), according to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and had its epicenter 15 kilometers southwest of Port-au-Prince the capital. The tremor, horizontal, has been traced to a depth of 8.3 kilometers.

The USGS has indicated that the area is densely populated and given the proximity to the epicenter and strong aftershocks (one of magnitude 5.9) is feared to have many victims.

Haiti is the poorest state in Latin America.

Cease to operate communications

The communications network and mobile in the Haitian capital, Port au Prince, stopped operating after the first earthquake, the State Department said the United States.

The U.S. Embassy in Port au Prince "reports that the communications of mobile and fixed network are not operating in the capital" of Haiti, said State Department spokesman Charles Luoma-Overstreet.

Obama offers help

The U.S. president, Barack Obama, announced Tuesday that his country is ready to provide the necessary support in everything I can to Haiti.

"We are studying the situation closely and are prepared to assist the Haitian people," Obama said in a statement after learning of the quake, which has lifted the tsunami alert in Cuba, Dominican Republic and the Bahamas. In addition, the U.S. president has said its "thoughts and prayers" are at present concerned with Haitians.

The U.S. embassy in Port au Prince is currently contacting staff and trying to activate the warning network for U.S. citizens, although there are difficulties as telecommunications with the island are cut, as reported by the U.S. State Department.

The offer of help from the United States comes in response to a call from the U.S. ambassador to Haiti, Raymond Joseph, who asked for international aid to alleviate the human and material damage caused by the strong earthquake that may have proportions "catastrophic "he said in an interview on CNN television estadouidense.

"Definitely, I ask the help of U.S.," said the ambassador, who was thrilled at the interview. "All I can do now is pray and hope that the worst will not happen," he said.

http://www.almomento.net/news/127/AR...010-01-12.html

**Treyfish** · January 12, 2010, 07:30 PM

Re: Earthquake Magnitude 7.0 - HAITI REGION - Ambassador to US says "likely catastrophic"

Tiemblor earth creates panic; warn coastal residents RD

8:20 PM --

Tsunami Warning Center U.S. Hawaii lifted the tsunami alert declared after the earthquake of 7 degrees on the Richter scale rocked Haiti. A bulletin warning center said the earthquake caused a tidal wave of 12 centimeters above normal in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and less than an inch deep.

Based on these data could occur destructive tsunami waves near the epicenter of the earthquake, the center said.

But he added that there is no threat to coastal areas beyond the epicenter and that "therefore cancels tsunami warning.

The bulletin said at least two hours past the earthquake and if there have been no destructive waves "local authorities can assume that the threat has passed."

However, he added that the danger to boats and coastal structures can continue for several hours due to rapid currents. EFE

While the Seismological Institute of Santo Domingo, said that in areas where it is most felt was 6.8. degrees on the Richter scale.

Warn coastal residents to prepare evacuation Dominican

Dominican Civil Defense began to alert coastal residents to prepare to seek refuge on high points before a tsunami warning issued after the earthquake registered in Haiti.

The Emergency Operations Center (COE) issued a red alert for the provinces of La Altagracia, San Pedro de Macoris, Barahona, La Romana, Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional, San Cristobal, Azua and Pedernales.

"We warn all coastal provinces in case there is any penetration of the sea to the coast. We are warning them to prepare for evacuations," said Civil Defense director Luis Luna Paulino.

"It's going to evacuate people in high places in areas where the sea has penetrated in the past," said Luna Paulino, who could not say how many people will be evacuated, although as mentioned points and Nagua Samana peninsula, in the northeast.

According COE reported in San Juan de la Maguana has been very strong, and we also have reports of points as Nagua (north-east) of the capital (Santo Domingo) and San Isidro (east).

The Metro closed until tomorrow

In Santo Domingo, the underground facilities were closed until Wednesday as a precautionary measure, said according to the head of the Opret, Diandino Pe?a.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake was 7 degrees on the Richter scale.

Damage in Haiti

While in the neighboring country of Haiti, the quake ripped through a hospital, which collapsed and people crying for help, officials and witnesses said.

The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.3 occurred in the afternoon and was centered about 22 kilometers (14 miles) west of Port au Prince, said the U.S. Geological Service.

The earthquake was felt in the National District and Santo Domingo province, but with greater intensity in San Juan de la Maguana, Nagua, Santiago, Moca, causing panic and fear in many people who could feel the sacudi?n.

So far there has been no death or hurt, or demolition of a building, and agencies like the Red Cross, Armed Forces and to alert and advise the population to remain calm, but be attentive to the information from the authorities.

The quake occurred exactly at 5:55 minutes of the afternoon, and caused hundreds of people out of their homes and other establishments roofing, as a preventive measure against any eventuality of a disaster.

The earthquake, which was felt in much of the interior of the country, lasted about 30 seconds, which was an eternity for many people who suddenly felt terrified by the natural phenomenon.

It is expected that in the minutes to the Institute of Seismology, University of Santo Domingo, issue information relating to this natural event, determining the epicenter, the scale and the exact duration of the tremor.

http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/...aspx?id=182666

**Hogweed** · January 12, 2010, 07:34 PM

Re: Earthquake Magnitude 7.0 - HAITI REGION - Ambassador to US says "likely catastrophic"

Report on Sky News that main airport may have escaped major damage and be operational. Let's hope so for aid flights.

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Earthquake Magnitude 7.0 - HAITI REGION - Ambassador to US says "likely catastrophic"

Earthquake Magnitude 7.0 - HAITI REGION - Ambassador to US says "likely catastrophic"

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