Major earthquake strikes Haiti, felt across Caribbean

[TexasTowelie]

Source: Reuters

PORT-AU-PRINCE/HAVANA, Aug 14 (Reuters) - A major earthquake struck western Haiti on Saturday and was felt across the Caribbean where people fled their homes for fear that buildings might collapse.

The magnitude 7 earthquake quake struck 8 km (5 miles) from the town of Petit Trou de Nippes, about 150 km west of the capital Port-au-Prince, at a depth of 10 km, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The country is still recovering from a magnitude 7 earthquake closer to the capital 11 years ago that killed tens if not hundreds of thousands of people and flattened swathes of buildings, leaving many homeless.

"Everyone is really afraid. It's been years since such a big earthquake," said Daniel Ross, a resident in the eastern Cuban city of Guantanamo, adding that his home stood firm but the furniture shook.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/magnitude-7-quake-strikes-western-haiti-usgs-2021-08-14/

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I've read various estimates of the magnitude of the earthquake ranging from 7.0 to 7.2.

[AllaN01Bear]

1. usgs reports it now as 7.2

[Lovie777]

2. Big . . .

[FelineOverlord]

3. Major earthquake strikes Haiti, felt across Caribbean

Link to tweet

[FelineOverlord]

4. Major earthquake strikes Haiti, felt across Caribbean

Link to tweet

[TexasTowelie]

5. Thanks for the photos.

I'm afraid the number of fatalities will be in the tens of thousands based upon how many died in the last powerful earthquake in Haiti.

[Fla Dem]

6. The General Hospital in LesCayes, Haiti, is overwhelmed with patients.

Link to tweet

[AngryOldDem]

7. Could be worse than 2010, according to a correspondent on MSNBC.

Good God.

[bronxiteforever]

8. Kick and recommend for visibility

Those poor poor people.

[NurseJackie]

9. Would something like this trigger a tsunami that could hit elsewhere in the area?

[AngryOldDem]

10. There was a tsunami warning but I haven't heard any updates.

[melm00se]

11. Haiti cannot catch a break

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_natural_disasters_in_Haiti

[BigmanPigman]

12. Man, Alaska and Haiti on the same day.

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. At least 304 dead as Haiti struck by 7.2-magnitude earthquake

At least 304 people have died and hundreds are missing after Haiti was struck by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that reduced churches, hotels and homes to rubble, in the latest tragedy to hit a Caribbean nation already mired in profound humanitarian and political crises and still reeling from the recent assassination of its president.

The earthquake on Saturday, which struck the country’s south-west at 8.29am local time, was felt across the Caribbean and rekindled painful memories of the devastating 2010 quake that killed more than 200,000 people. The prime minister, Ariel Henry, has declared a month-long state of emergency.
...
The US president, Joe Biden, authorised an immediate response and named Samantha Power as the senior official coordinating the US effort to help Haiti. USAID will help to assess damage and assist in rebuilding, said Biden, who called the United States a “close and enduring friend to the people of Haiti”.

A growing number of countries offered help, including Argentina and Chile, which said it was preparing to send humanitarian aid. “Once again, Haiti has been hit by adversity,” the Chilean president, Sebastián Piñera, said.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/14/haiti-struck-by-earthquake

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. Haiti earthquake: Rescuers search for survivors as death toll climbs to 700

Officials in Haiti have confirmed at least 724 people are dead after a powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit the Caribbean nation on Saturday.

Rescuers are picking through rubble in a desperate search for any survivors.

Homes, churches and schools were among buildings flattened in the quake. Some hospitals were left overwhelmed and in need of supplies.

An unknown number of people are missing and at least 2,800 people have been injured, officials say.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-58222888

[TexasTowelie]

15. Sadly it looks like those numbers will continue to climb throughout the week.

I saw the tropical weather map and it looks like tropical storm Grace will be over Haiti on Tuesday evening so that will slow rescue and relief efforts.

[Eugene]

16. Nearly 1,300 dead after Haiti earthquake, and the country is bracing for a tropical depression.

Source: New York Times

LIVE Updated 2m ago

Haiti Live Updates: Search for Survivors After Quake Kills Nearly 1,300

-snip-

Nearly 1,300 dead after Haiti earthquake, and the country is bracing for a tropical depression.

LES CAYES, Haiti — Haitians struggled with a lack of basic supplies, including food and medical care, in the aftermath of a magnitude 7.2 earthquake on Saturday that snapped water lines, blocked roads, flattened grocery stores and damaged hospitals on the country’s southwestern peninsula.

The powerful earthquake was a devastating blow to a country that is still reeling from a presidential assassination last month and that never recovered from a disastrous quake more than 11 years ago. Aid groups and government rescue workers established a single operation center in Port-au-Prince to coordinate the quake response, but many in the hard hit town of Les Cayes were loading injured into cars and on to private planes to try to evacuate them to the capital, Port-au-Prince, for care.

Herve Foucand, a former senator, was using his small propeller plane to ferry people to Haiti’s capital.

“I have 30 people in serious condition waiting for me,” he said. “But I only have seven seats.”

Small towns surrounding Les Cayes were cut off by landslides and are believed to be even harder hit.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/08/15/world/haiti-earthquake/nearly-1300-dead-after-haiti-earthquake-and-the-country-is-bracing-for-a-tropical-depression