Log in or Sign up

Haiti Devastated by Quake.

Discussion in 'Current Events' started by Tom Clancy, Jan 13, 2010.

Page 1 of 22

Jan 13, 2010 #1

Offline
Tom Clancy Clancy for Ron Paul

Joined:

May 23, 2009

Messages:

3,222

Thanks Received:

585

Trophy Points:

48

Location:

North Carolina.

Ratings:

+585

Snip.

Haiti Devastated by Quake; Scores Believed Dead - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News - FOXNews.com

Jan. 12: A man carries an injured child outside Hotel Villa Creole in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti A powerful earthquake struck Haiti's capital on Tuesday with withering force, toppling everything from simple shacks to the ornate National Palace. The dead and injured lay in the streets even as strong aftershocks rippled through the impoverished Caribbean country.

Associated Press journalists based in Port-au-Prince said the damage from the quake the most powerful to hit Haiti in more than 200 years is staggering even in a country accustomed to tragedy and disaster. Thousands of people gathered in public squares late into the night, singing hymns and weeping.

Many gravely injured people sat in the streets early Wednesday, pleading for doctors. With almost no emergency services to speak of, the surivors had few other options.

SLIDESHOW: Devastation in Haiti

VIDEO: Witness Describes Earthquake

The scope of the disaster remained unclear early Wednesday, and even a rough estimate of the number of casualties was impossible. But it was clear from a tour of the capital that tens of thousands of people had lost their homes and that many had perished. Many buildings in Haiti are flimsy and dangerous even under normal conditions.

"The hospitals cannot handle all these victims," said Louis-Gerard Gilles, a doctor and former senator, as he helped survivors. "Haiti needs to pray. We all need to pray together."

An Associated Press videographer saw a wrecked hospital where people screamed for help in Petionville, a hillside Port-au-Prince district that is home to many diplomats and wealthy Haitians as well as many poor people.

The headquarters of the 9,000-member Haiti peacekeeping mission and other U.N. installations were seriously damaged, according to Alain Le Roy, the U.N. peacekeeping chief in New York.

"Contacts with the U.N. on the ground have been severely hampered," Le Roy said in a statement, adding: "For the moment, a large number of personnel remain unaccounted for."

Despite the destruction, the capital was largely peaceful.

The 7.0-magnitude quake struck at 4:53 p.m. Tuesday, leaving large numbers of people unaccounted for, including many of the United Nations personnel who have been keeping the peace in the country since a 2004 rebellion ousted the president.

President Rene Preval and his wife survived the earthquake, according to Robert Manuel, Haiti's ambassador to Mexico. He said he had no other details.

Karel Zelenka, a Catholic Relief Services representative in Port-au-Prince, told U.S. colleagues before phone service failed that "there must be thousands of people dead," according to a spokeswoman for the aid group, Sara Fajardo.

"He reported that it was just total disaster and chaos, that there were clouds of dust surrounding Port-au-Prince," Fajardo said from the group's offices in Maryland.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said in Washington that U.S. Embassy personnel were "literally in the dark" after power failed.
Click to expand...
Jan 13, 2010 #2

Offline
Ravi Diamond Member

Joined:

Feb 27, 2008

Messages:

85,084

Thanks Received:

13,182

Trophy Points:

2,205

Location:

Hating Hatters

Ratings:

+35,241

Horrid.
Jan 13, 2010 #3

Online
strollingbones Diamond Member

Joined:

Aug 18, 2008

Messages:

73,765

Thanks Received:

17,051

Trophy Points:

2,190

Location:

chicken farm

Ratings:

+41,458

the loss is overwhelming
Jan 13, 2010 #4

Offline
Contessa_Sharra Searcher for Accuracy

Joined:

Apr 27, 2008

Messages:

1,639

Thanks Received:

147

Trophy Points:

48

Ratings:

+147

Maybe, just maybe, Haiti will now receive some very necessary attention.

All I can say is that what has happened is terrible and I am so glad that the hurricane season is over, hopefully much can be done to really help the people there before that is upon them again.
Jan 13, 2010 #5

Offline
Samson Póg Mo Thóin Supporting Member

Joined:

Dec 3, 2009

Messages:

27,357

Thanks Received:

3,741

Trophy Points:

245

Location:

A Higher Plain

Ratings:

+4,215

Contessa_Sharra said: ↑

Maybe, just maybe, Haiti will now receive some very necessary attention.

All I can say is that what has happened is terrible and I am so glad that the hurricane season is over, hopefully much can be done to really help the people there before that is upon them again.
Click to expand...

Yes, The UN and Dominican Republic should be riding to the rescue.
Jan 13, 2010 #6

Offline
Gatekeeper Senior Member

Joined:

Nov 11, 2009

Messages:

2,004

Thanks Received:

350

Trophy Points:

48

Location:

New Jersey

Ratings:

+350

My condolences to all the families, their hardships as with so many in these events is as Strollingbones says, is overwhelming.

I remember walking the streets of Anchorage one day after the 1964 earthquake, seeing the snow covered black/white ripples in the earth flying into Elmendorf AFB. The damage in person makes the personal impact much greater than a picture or video.
Jan 13, 2010 #7

Offline
WillowTree Diamond Member

Joined:

Sep 15, 2008

Messages:

70,913

Thanks Received:

10,747

Trophy Points:

2,030

Ratings:

+17,894

Samson said: ↑

Contessa_Sharra said: ↑

Maybe, just maybe, Haiti will now receive some very necessary attention.

All I can say is that what has happened is terrible and I am so glad that the hurricane season is over, hopefully much can be done to really help the people there before that is upon them again.
Click to expand...

Yes, The UN and Dominican Republic should be riding to the rescue.
Click to expand...

I think the United States of America will ride to the rescue. What a terrible disaster.
Jan 13, 2010 #8

Offline
goldcatt Catch me if you can! Supporting Member

Joined:

Aug 4, 2009

Messages:

10,330

Thanks Received:

2,331

Trophy Points:

48

Location:

CentralPA

Ratings:

+2,331

A shallow 7.0 quake like this one is going to be devastating anywhere. And they're still having significant aftershocks to bring down already weakened structures and what's left of the infrastructure. At least the Port-au-Prince airport is currently operational to bring in aid if it can get there in time to make a difference, but it's heartbreaking.

Magnitude 7.0 - HAITI REGION

Latest Earthquakes in the World - Past 7 days
Jan 13, 2010 #9

Offline
editec Mr. Forgot-it-All

Joined:

Jun 5, 2008

Messages:

41,426

Thanks Received:

5,599

Trophy Points:

48

Location:

Maine

Ratings:

+5,634

The headline should read:

HELL ON EARTH suffers decline in quality of life from 7.0 earthquake.
Jan 13, 2010 #10

Offline
mudwhistle Diamond Member

Joined:

Jul 21, 2009

Messages:

70,774

Thanks Received:

12,791

Trophy Points:

2,220

Location:

Wetwang With Fimber, Yorkshire

Ratings:

+32,114
Obama is about to speak on it.

How long did it take for him to speak publicly on the Ft Hood massacre?
- Thank You! x 1

(You must log in or sign up to reply here.)

Page 1 of 22

Share This Page

Active Topics

There are many of high schools...
TroglocratsRdumb posted Aug 22, 2017 at 6:25 AM
Convention Babe Angela opens...
Bleipriester posted Aug 22, 2017 at 6:05 AM
German FM´s wife invited to...
Bleipriester posted Aug 22, 2017 at 5:55 AM
Saudis Bankroll Taliban, Even...
basquebromance posted Aug 22, 2017 at 5:49 AM
Confederate flags transform...
barryqwalsh posted Aug 22, 2017 at 5:15 AM
Chumpanzee
Tommy Tainant posted Aug 22, 2017 at 4:05 AM
Trump is going after protesters.
Mousterian posted Aug 22, 2017 at 3:50 AM
Pro Muscle Plus
fip6542 posted Aug 22, 2017 at 3:14 AM

Loading...

Search