7.0 quake hits impoverished Haiti (hospital collapses; argest quake recorded in this area)

Yahoo News ^ | January 12, 2010

[NYer]

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – A strong earthquake hit the impoverished country of Haiti on Tuesday, where a hospital collapsed and people were screaming for help. Other buildings also were damaged.

There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries, but an analyst at the U.S. Geological Survey said there could be substantial damage and casualties. Powerful aftershocks were felt in the first hour.

The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 and was centered about 10 miles (15 kilometers) west from the Caribbean nation's capital of Port-au-Prince, the USGS said. It had a depth of 5 miles (8 kilometers).

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.

No further details on any causualties or other damage were immediately available.

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.

The quake was felt in the Dominican Republic, which shares a border with Haiti on the island of Hispaniola. Some panicked residents in the capital of Santo Domingo fled from their shaking homes.

Another USGS analyst, Dale Grant, said this was "the largest quake recorded in this area." He said the last strong quake was a magnitude-6.7 temblor in 1984.

"Everybody is just totally, totally freaked out and shaken," said Henry Bahn, a U.S. Department of Agriculture visiting Haiti. "The sky is just gray with dust."

[NYer]

QUAKE-PRONE OCEAN TRENCHES—Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Hispaniola (shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic) are located near earthquake-prone deep-ocean trenches similar to those that recently have caused earthquakes and a tsunami off Sumatra, Indonesia. A large fault that runs along Sumatra also bears striking resemblance to the Septentrional Fault Zone in Hispaniola. Deep-ocean trenches occur where two of Earth's crustal plates collide, with one thrusting down beneath the other. (Christopher Polloni, USGS and Jack Cook, WHOI Graphic Services)

[NYer]

Haiti is a Catholic nation. Prayer ping!

Catholic Ping
Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list

[GeronL]

Its also a voodoo nation. just saying.

Damages are estimated to be in the tens of dollars.

I’m sorry, this really is sad. Living in Haiti must be bad enough without these kinds of things happening.

[GeronL]

Ouch. That sounds worse than I first thought. Awful news.

[brivette]

lol!

[reagan_fanatic]

Those poor people. May help arrive quickly and may God ease their pain and suffering.

[aruanan]

Septentrional Fault Zone in Hispaniola.

I lived for a year over that fault. It was an earthquake that destroyed the original Santiago de los Caballeros.

[NYer]

Ping!

[AnAmericanMother]

That’s probably also why that wicked old pirates’ hole, Port Royal, Jamaica, toppled into the sea.

[tflabo]

Just wow......here’s an excellent missionary organization
and couple doing fine work among the impoverished of Haiti.

http://www.loveachild.com/

[Uri’el-2012]

4 And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you.

5 "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many.

6 "You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.

7 "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.

8 "But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

9 "Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

10 "At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.

11 "Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.

12 "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold.

13 "But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach

[SaxxonWoods]

I’m a fallen Catholic, but prayers up. I hate to hear about this happening to those poor people.

[fanfan]

Earthquake ping.

[NYer]

I’m a fallen Catholic

You are not alone. Many of us here at FR have fallen away over the years. I would encourage you to visit this site.

Catholics Come Home.

Then freepmail me to be added to the Catholic ping list ;-)

[Tax-chick]

NYer, if you have information on relief organizations, please let us know. Missionaries of the Poor springs to mind - they have a large presence in the Caribbean, and they’ll get food and medical care going for the injured and homeless.

[Tax-chick]

Of course! “Archaeology” magazine had an article on Port Royal recently. It was a big city, like a Western mining city, Virginia City or Cripple Creek, and then ... Zot.

[Humvee]

Also, Food For The Poor in Deerfield Beach, FL. Among top 100 charities in the U.S.

[Tax-chick]

http://www.foodforthepoor.org/

Great organization, they come to our church every year.

http://www.missionariesofthepoor.org/

Based in Jamaica, Father Ho Lung’s order.

[Brian Kopp DPM]

I've been on three medical missionary trips to Haiti. I just got off the phone with the Monsignor who I accompanied on two of those trips. Early word is that Port-Au-Prince is a dust bowl, that the non-reinforced brick structures just crumbled and turned to dust. No construction there is earthquake resistant. Monsignor expects death tolls to be in the tens of thousands.

This is very bad, folks. Please drop the jokes and just pray for these poor people.

[DollyCali]

I agree Brian, I too have been there for mission trips & the draw of the beautiful and spirited people is only blighted by the terrible situation of life they experience. It does break your heart.

I surely hope that our hospital ship is already steaming it’s way there (but doubt it) and that we will have many troops on the ground by morning.

Wish I could be there to help