>>No- it’s not a Katrina moment in that sense. They felt it in the DR but there’s no really awful damage like in Haiti.<<
I suspect it may be partly due to building standards as well. I understand there is a lot of concrete, but not a lot of rebar, in Haiti.
That was my first thought when I viewed photos of the damage this morning. Reminded me of a trip to Mexico and the lax building standards they have there.