There's an active thread in the civil aviation forum pertaining to flights in and out of Haiti and the Dominican Republic as well as any damage to any airport infrastructure in the area, but I didn't see anyone post about this yet. So here it is...

A massive 7-point earthquake struck about 10 miles outside of Port Au Prince, Haiti and was felt as far away as Guantanamo Bay and Santo Domingo, D.R. Reports of houses that collapsed into a ravine, a collapsed building across from the US Embasy at Port Au Prince, and a damaged hospital. Also, downed telephone and cell phone service...

More here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34829978/ns/world_news-americas/

No word from the family we have there yet. TV news may be the best source...

Oh shit, the presidential palace collapsed. I was sort of blowing it off but this is devastating for Haiti, as if they didn't have enough problems. That sucks a lot.

Sad to read of this. I hope the damage and suffering is minimal.
This is the last thing the people of Haiti needs to deal with.

[Edited 2010-01-12 17:57:21]

Quoting FuturePilot16 (Reply 2): Oh shit, the presidential palace collapsed.

Wow! That is just awful down there! I really can't believe that that part of the world has seen an earthquake of this magnitude...

It is along a boundary of the Caribbean and N.A. plates tho...

Quoting FuturePilot16 (Reply 2): this is devastating for Haiti, as if they didn't have enough problems. That sucks a lot.

That's for damn sure! They're already quite poverty stricken, aren't they?

Man, I really hope for the best for everyone down there...

Quoting Steeler83 (Reply 4): Man, I really hope for the best for everyone down there...

Please do. I just found out via facebook that a good friend of mine is there visiting his family, so I hope he's ok

This is appearing to be a disaster equal to Katrina, with maybe a higher death toll. One can only hope for the best for the people there, and the rapid response from the US and other countries.

From watching on CNN it appears that Skype, Facebook and Twitter are the best lines of communication into the country. If you know people with families and/or friends there you might let them know.

As for moving in help, I have no doubt that the US will provide some vigorous help, as will other countries in the Americas. I believe, however, that this will be needing a full international effort and hope Europe to Asia can move quickly to provide help, from food and medical supplies to basics, like water purifying equipment, equipment for rescuing & rebuilding, etc.

Last note from CNN: 13 aftershocks, with 5.9 being the worst. UN Headquarters there has collapsed with employees there not being able to be contacted.

Well we can all sit here, feel bad and comment about it....or we can do something about it.

Here's the link for Amrican Red Cross - they are accepting donations for those affected by this eartquake: http://newsroom.redcross.org/2010/01...isaster-alert-earthquake-in-haiti/

Click on "International Response Fund".

Direct link:

https://american.redcross.org/site/Donation2?4306.donation=form1&idb=428732091&df_id=4306&JServSessionIdr004=yxa9a0v901.app194a


I have made my contribution. I hope the A.net community does the same.

RIP to those who perished.

http://www.canada.com/news/Canada+ready+help+Haiti/2433727/story.html

My heart goes out of all those people at the hospital site. Hopefully the airfield infrastructure is in good enough shape to land DART there. The only other option would be to mobilize the Atlantic fleet.

I donated. I fear the loss of life come tomorrow is going to be horrific. My thoughts and prayers go out to those involved.

I felt so heart broken and sad when I hurt the terrible news. I really shed some tears when I heard about the hospital that collapsed and there were cries for help heard. May God have mercy on those who perished and May God Bless the countries of the world who lend a full hand to help with rescue, and humanitarian aid in that poor country. I didnt even know that Haiti was the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. I will pray for those who have perished and for those who have been injured, may God Bless them all.   

Pictures of Haiti after the earthquake - real time image results.

http://picfog.com/search/Haiti

These areas that already have to cope with dire poverty, misery and political corruption don't need earthquakes on top of it all. A 7.0+ hitting a city like Port au Prince is a tragedy. This is so really sad not counting on the aftershocks.
RIP earhquake victims.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquak.../recenteqsww/Quakes/us2010rja6.php

Magnitude 7.0 - HAITI REGION
2010 January 12 21:53:09 UTC

Earthquake Details
Magnitude 7.0
Date-Time

* Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 21:53:09 UTC
* Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 04:53:09 PM at epicenter
* Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location 18.451°N, 72.445°W
Depth 10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program
Region HAITI REGION
Distances 15 km (10 miles) SW of PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti
140 km (90 miles) E of Les Cayes, Haiti
145 km (90 miles) WNW of Barahona, Dominican Republic
1140 km (710 miles) SE of Miami, Florida
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 8.3 km (5.2 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters NST=103, Nph=103, Dmin=365.7 km, Rmss=1.14 sec, Gp= 94°,
M-type=teleseismic moment magnitude (Mw), Version=7
Source

* USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)

Event ID us2010rja6

[Edited 2010-01-13 00:24:13]

I came home after a tough night of work. Heated up my chicken dinner, and drank an ice cold beer. Then I cut a small piece of cake, and curled up on the couch to catch up on the news. TOTAL Devastation! So much so, I felt so guilty for the meal I had just consumed. I can't express the heartbreak I feel for the people of Haiti right now. The images on tv show so many hurt, and predictions of high death tolls. As if the citizens of that country have not suffered enough already, now they have this.

Folks, I think it is beyond a man/woman's responsibility to look out for one another. Please donate what you can, even if it is only $10! Donate blood, do whatever you can to help these poor people out.

Here in the United States, when a disaster like this occurs, we usually find some form of shelter (I won't bring up New Orleans). But we usually get immediate help, and get the needs quickly.

In Haiti, so many are hurt, and most are sleeping in the elements right now. I can imagine nobody wants to even be in anything resembling a building right now, especially with the aftershocks. I hear it is raining now, which makes shelter even more impossible. I would never want to be in the shoes of anyone there right now. But at the same time, I wish I could be there to help rescue and give aid to hurt people. How sad!  

Again, please do what you can do to help!

Thiis is devastation.

The beautiful Presidential Palace in Port au Prince has collapsed. The building is a blend of Second Empire and Baroque.
http://www.traveladventures.org/cont...merica/images/port-au-prince03.jpg

A view of Haiti's Presidential Palace, damaged.
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Strong...113/ids_photos_wl/r1801097616.jpg/

The ministries of finance, labour, communications and culture suffered serious damage,' Haitian television channel Haitipal reported.

32 aftershocks averaging no less than 4.5
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquak...recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.html

 

Very sad to see this in Haiti. Its a total disaster zone. I hope that the neighbours in the region will provide essential supplies like water/clothing/food/fuel etc... The faster the better as I beleive its the first 48 hours after that is the critical time.

Quoting Phoenix9 (Reply 7): Well we can all sit here, feel bad and comment about it....or we can do something about it.

Phoenix, thanks for posting the red cross link. I can't stress it enough but if everyone gave $10, which amounts to 2 gallons of milk and maybe a loaf of bread to us in the US, its equivalent to live and death over there. Please consider the cause.



As of this morning, my uncle and his family are alive but we are still awaiting word from some of our older relatives who live near the center of the quake.


Thank you all for reading and for your interest and consideration

Quoting MadameConcorde (Reply 11): real time image results

It is simply incredible ! The beautiful palace and that beautiful church so badly damaged also is moral-devastating, beside the horror as such. I since morning whenever looking at the news have to fight back tears. Sure, things can be re-built. But for the time being the whole city there is in ruins, and people lost lodgings, belongings, livelihood/jobs, their city, everything !

     

and there now will be the problem with diseases, and this at a moment when some of the hospitals apparently are destroyed as well ....................

And the poor gets poorer. Poor is in such a terrible state right now..

My thoughts are with what is going on in Haiti. Last Saturday around 4:28pm, we had a 6.5 earthquake about 23 miles WSW of Eureka, California. I was in a 100 year old Victorian building in Old Town Eureka when the earthquake struck. We went for a wild ride but the building was not damaged because it was constructed with redwood timber and was seismically retrofitted. Just broken glass and shattered nerves. It was the biggest quake I have experienced. Old Town had the most damage in the area but it is nothing compared to what I am seeing online from Haiti.

With our quake power was out for 35,000 homes and businesses for several hours. Cell phone service was out for a half hour after the shaking stopped. Probably because the system was jammed with too many people trying to call out. Current estimates around Humboldt County are $19 million in damage. Although most of the damage was cosmetic, 3 houses were knocked off their foundation and several historic buildings in Old Town Eureka have been red tagged. On Monday the Eureka city council voted to demolish the Old Town Bar and Grill building because of its condition after the quake. But when you see what large quake can do to a city that is not earthquake prepared, I am left speechless.......

I agree with above posters, it is time to band together and send whatever level of aid we can provide.

Quoting Ken777 (Reply 6): This is appearing to be a disaster equal to Katrina, with maybe a higher death toll.

This is way worse than Katrina I think. I fear we may be talking about 300,000+ dead and 1,000,000 survivors homeless. Port-au-prince is a city of about 2 million people, leveled.

Donate donate donate!

american.redcross.org for the Americans here.

"CBS News RAW": daytime pictures of the aftermath of the Tuesday's earthquake in Haiti. There were crying victims among the downed buildings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IySBl2aq-A

    


RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service
Budapest, Hungary

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert...0100112-24531-HTI&cat=dis&lang=eng

Follow all the updates with the link below.

Situation Update No. 33
On 13.01.2010 at 15:37 GMT+2

An Israeli search and rescue team (SAR) Wednesday departed to Haiti, which was rocked by a strong earthquake. "The delegation includes engineering, medical, logistics and rescue experts from the IDF Home Front Command," Israel Defense Force (IDF) said in a statement.

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert...0100112-24531-HTI&cat=dis&lang=eng

Who needs war when natural disasters take such heavy toll?

Quoting F9Animal (Reply 12): Here in the United States, when a disaster like this occurs, we usually find some form of shelter........ But we usually get immediate help, and get the needs quickly.

Our US system is setup for the help - food, water and shelter along with rescue support for the first 72 hours to be provided by the local city, county and state governments.

Only after that time can we expect to see support from the federal government. Even then, that support is mostly logistical in nature. The local police, fire, and city, county and state government are responsible for direct help to the people impacted. Along with local medical teams from hospitals, etc.

The main responsibility of the federal support system is providing them training, expertise and contracting for shipments of emergency supplies by commercial truckers and other companies.

The one federal resource available to the state governor immediately is the state national guard - provided it is not engaged in federal work outside the state.

One area which shines in the US is electrical power. The power companies have their own plans completely independent of any city, county, state or federal government. The electrical power companies across the country have assistance agreements and dispatch their line crews when called. Unfortunately people do not understand that crews have to follow the power lines as they make repairs - so sometimes their repairs seem haphazard.

The biggest problem in a major disaster is that the people who need to provide that first level of aid and structure are themselves often victims. So they concentrate on their families - not getting the disaster recovery organized and moving.

Quoting RFields5421 (Reply 21): Our US system is setup for the help - food, water and shelter along with rescue support for the first 72 hours to be provided by the local city, county and state governments.

The biggest problem with this is the lack of disaster assistance in Haiti at this point. I saw videos online with 4,5,6 guys trying to pull one man from under a huge slab of concrete and the man was clearly in pain. Hopefully they get machinery there capable of doing this work as soon as possible.

People are literally sleeping in the streets right now and with the extreme poverty in the country, I can't imagine how they plan to rebuild.

Quoting AirlineBrat (Reply 18): But when you see what large quake can do to a city that is not earthquake prepared, I am left speechless.......

The problem is that a lot of their buildings are built with concrete slabs, even the roof of the houses, so it's not very stable, and they can't afford better material so when all that concrete comes crashing down, it's devastating.

Where did the link to the donation go?
I'll try and find it in my address bar

Quoting FCA767 (Reply 23): Where did the link to the donation go?

Canadian Red Cross:

http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=33900&tid=001
(Click on: Help Now)


American Red Cross:

http://newsroom.redcross.org/2010/01...isaster-alert-earthquake-in-haiti/
(Click on: International Response Fund)


Another way to donate if you are in US:

You can text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to American Red Cross relief for Haiti.


Please donate whatever you can. Every little bit helps.

[Edited 2010-01-13 09:22:10]

Quoting Mirrodie (Reply 15): my uncle and his family are alive but we are still awaiting word from some of our older relatives who live near the center of the quake.

Nice to hear that there also are positive news. Let's pray that more missing people turn up

Quoting D L X (Reply 19): This is way worse than Katrina I think. I fear we may be talking about 300,000+ dead and 1,000,000 survivors homeless. Port-au-prince is a city of about 2 million people, leveled.

I think your death estimates will be pretty close. It was a very shallow quake, which translates into large surface movement. Combined wit masonry buildings, it will make the 1989 Armenia quake look like nothing.

We need to get a carrier or two there ASAP (can provide power, as well as clean drinking water) or else the disease epidemic that follows will take as many lives as the quake itself.

This is one of those times where the US can reach for its potential in helping others. Haiti is so close to this country that we are the logical lead in helping. What I see is:

- sending in equipment and personnel to get air traffic control operational at a high level as the airport will be a key point of receiving help.

- use military air transport capacity as much as possible to carry, land and quickly offload supplies.

- call for volunteers in the medical professions, and ask airlines to rapidly move them to Miami for staging.

- call for donations of basic medical supplies from manufacturers and distributors. There simply isn't enough time for traditional procurement processing.

- look at the farm surplus purchases in warehouses to find what can be utilized today and tomorrow. Cut the red tape and move it.

- the Navy is an exceptional service and knows how to help in emergencies. Ships off shore to provide management support facilities. Heavy cargo movements, with final delivery by helicopters to avoid jamming up piers.

- Designate the closest airports (and military air bases) as consolidating points, including the help sent from other countries. The Obama Administration needs to set policies for providing fuel and other support policies and the leaders of both parties in both Houses of Congress should provide immediate concurrence.

- Call for the private sector retailers, like Wal-Mart, to provide what ever donations of food and clothing possible, as well as the logistics skills needed.

Other people can obviously come up with thoughts off the top of their heads. The key today is what can be started today.

This country has so much potential for immediate support and help. We need to roll now as the more we wait the more people will die. It''s that simple. What was the phrase from the last 9/11 flight?

Let's Roll.

Just got a CNN breaking news message, seems the president of Haiti has stated that the death toll may well be over 100,000.

Also saw Obama's statement on the issue, I expect we will see the US Navy heading down with relief.

Cheers
Mats

The carrier Carl Vinson will be on scene tonight or early tomorrow. Most of the support ships for a Marine Amphibious Group will be there within a few days. The USNS Comfort hospital ship is preparing to sail to Haiti.

The United States is not the only nation responding. Colombia and Venezuela are dispatching C-130's today. Nations from around the world are mobilizing.

A key focus is getting the United Nations security forces in Haiti back to strength and stabilize their headquarters and communications facilities.

Live stream from Haiti via Haitipal (Creole and French language)

http://www.freeetv.com/modules.php?n...me=Video_Stream&page=watch&id=2837

Haiti is still being hit.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquak...recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.html

Update time = Wed Jan 13 18:04:59 UTC 2010

MAG UTC DATE-TIME y/m/d h:m:s LAT deg LON deg DEPTH km Region

MAP 3.6 2010/01/13 17:36:27 40.667 -124.662 11.7 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.7 2010/01/13 17:18:08 -0.691 133.313 10.0 NEAR THE NORTH COAST OF PAPUA, INDONESIA
MAP 5.0 2010/01/13 16:49:08 -15.479 -175.039 10.0 TONGA
MAP 5.3 2010/01/13 16:21:24 -15.741 -174.695 10.0 TONGA
MAP 5.3 2010/01/13 14:43:45 18.453 -72.922 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 5.2 2010/01/13 12:42:39 6.647 124.353 10.0 MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES
MAP 4.7 2010/01/13 12:41:45 18.411 -72.814 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 4.5 2010/01/13 12:28:26 18.409 -72.728 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 3.9 2010/01/13 11:17:55 47.431 -113.174 20.8 WESTERN MONTANA
MAP 4.8 2010/01/13 10:22:15 26.940 53.497 10.0 SOUTHERN IRAN
MAP 4.8 2010/01/13 10:08:21 76.940 18.262 10.0 SVALBARD REGION
MAP 2.5 2010/01/13 09:58:45 18.515 -67.410 17.5 MONA PASSAGE, PUERTO RICO
MAP 3.5 2010/01/13 08:44:40 63.641 -151.378 1.2 CENTRAL ALASKA
MAP 4.7 2010/01/13 08:35:09 0.791 123.941 269.2 MINAHASA, SULAWESI, INDONESIA
MAP 2.5 2010/01/13 08:26:01 36.944 -119.123 35.9 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.0 2010/01/13 07:55:00 5.177 127.317 118.9 PHILIPPINE ISLANDS REGION
MAP 2.5 2010/01/13 07:52:59 60.529 -151.983 79.2 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
MAP 2.8 2010/01/13 07:37:00 31.867 -115.000 7.1 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 5.0 2010/01/13 07:23:04 18.355 -72.884 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 4.5 2010/01/13 06:58:27 18.346 -73.062 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 4.5 2010/01/13 06:48:03 18.379 -72.876 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 4.6 2010/01/13 06:24:17 18.339 -73.059 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 4.7 2010/01/13 05:49:24 18.431 -73.019 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 4.9 2010/01/13 05:24:03 18.438 -72.837 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 5.2 2010/01/13 05:18:03 18.386 -72.905 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 5.7 2010/01/13 05:02:58 18.417 -72.945 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 3.2 2010/01/13 04:28:17 57.392 -154.257 35.6 KODIAK ISLAND REGION, ALASKA
MAP 5.0 2010/01/13 03:52:22 -20.219 -68.605 64.9 POTOSI, BOLIVIA
MAP 4.7 2010/01/13 03:31:57 18.254 -72.922 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 2.7 2010/01/13 03:30:39 32.445 -115.159 27.6 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
MAP 4.6 2010/01/13 03:17:12 18.398 -72.997 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 4.6 2010/01/13 02:54:20 18.393 -72.974 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 3.2 2010/01/13 02:47:58 18.840 -64.493 33.3 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
MAP 4.7 2010/01/13 02:43:48 18.484 -72.984 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 2.5 2010/01/13 02:43:38 36.395 -117.870 0.2 CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
MAP 4.8 2010/01/13 02:26:35 18.470 -72.836 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 4.7 2010/01/13 02:17:58 18.451 -72.956 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 4.9 2010/01/13 02:11:31 18.445 -73.026 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 5.4 2010/01/13 01:57:35 18.459 -72.924 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 5.0 2010/01/13 01:55:17 18.397 -72.824 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 5.5 2010/01/13 01:36:32 18.363 -72.832 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 5.3 2010/01/13 01:32:45 18.384 -72.950 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 4.7 2010/01/13 01:24:33 18.494 -72.811 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 5.1 2010/01/13 01:16:52 18.431 -72.856 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 4.6 2010/01/13 01:05:50 18.537 -72.666 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 5.2 2010/01/13 00:59:06 18.257 -72.914 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 5.0 2010/01/13 00:43:28 18.541 -72.486 10.0 HAITI REGION
MAP 4.8 2010/01/13 00:23:57 18.410 -72.716 10.0 HAITI REGION

More informations, videos and pictures of the earthquake disaster.
The images of the broken down Palais National are daunting.

http://www.haitifeed.com/

Earthquake map of Haiti and region.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquak...i/events/us/2010rja6/us/index.html

Ways to Help Earthquake Victims in Haiti

http://kledev.posterous.com/ways-to-help-earthquake-victims-in-haiti

 

Terrible news. The number of victims is increasing rapidly!  

From Yahoo News:

Quote: PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Haitians piled bodies along the devastated streets of their capital Wednesday after a powerful earthquake flattened the president's palace, the cathedral, hospitals, schools, the main prison and thousands of homes. Officials said thousands of people - and perhaps many, many more - were dead. The bodies of the dead were everywhere in Port-au-Prince. Bodies of tiny children were piled next to schools. Bodies of women lay with stunned expressions frozen on the street as flies began to gather. Bodies of men were covered with plastic tarps or cotton sheets. President Rene Preval said he believes thousands of people were killed in Tuesday afternoon's magnitude-7.0 quake, and the scope of the destruction prompted other officials to give even higher estimates. Leading senator Youri Latortue told The Associated Press that 500,000 could be dead, though he acknowledged that nobody really knows.

Full article: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100113/world/cb_haiti_earthquake


What a horrible tragedy   

Quoting RFields5421 (Reply 29): Colombia and Venezuela are dispatching C-130's today. Nations from around the world are mobilizing.

Glad to see Venezuela and Columbia work toward a good common cause.


Also, Wyclef Jean has donations set up via a twear.
You can donated $5 to Haiti by texting "Yele" to 501501.


Then there is my Aunt's organization that usually helps with children and education. Their efforts are obviously being redirected.

www.cohef.org

There are tiny states like the Vatican that posess innumerable weath.

I hope the Pope's country will chip in a fair amount for the reconstruction in Port au Prince and help to those affected by this awful disaster. Also the Prince of Lichtenstein and the Grimaldis in Monaco and other wealthiest Royals on Earth. I hope they will contribute substantial money to Haiti for reconstruction.

Italy had their own mega-earthquake in L'Aquila in 2009. A lot of people in the town are still in much disarray living in tents without any proper housing.

Think of all the mega-earthquakes that have happened in recent times. Sumatra, the Samoas and Tonga, Italy, Southern California and now Haiti.  

Quoting RFields5421 (Reply 29): The United States is not the only nation responding.

There is no question about that. I believe we will see countries from Europe to Asia and other countries in the Americas to come in with impressive help Few, however, are as close as we are and have the potential ability of moving mountains. And moving mountains is what is needed to avoid more massive deaths.

Quoting MadameConcorde (Reply 35): There are tiny states like the Vatican that posess innumerable weath. I hope the Pope's country will chip in

And considering how Roman Catholicism is the predominant organized religion there, I have to agree, I hope that the Vatican steps up support, a LOT of support.

All that gold and glimmer in a church or cathedral may be elegant but does it really reflect the underlying tenets of that faith? I dont believe so.

As I type, I have several relatives that are still missing. meanwhile, stateside, we have a few flying down hopefully by tomorrow.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with 80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty. Two-thirds of all Haitians depend on the agricultural sector, mainly small-scale subsistence farming, and remain vulnerable to damage from frequent natural disasters, exacerbated by the country's widespread deforestation. While the economy has recovered in recent years, registering positive growth since 2005, four tropical storms in 2008 severely damaged the transportation infrastructure and agricultural sector.

Facts about Haiti

http://worldfacts.us/Haiti.htm

Haiti suffers from high inflation, a lack of investment because of insecurity and limited infrastructure, and a severe trade deficit. In 2005, Haiti paid its arrears to the World Bank, paving the way for reengagement with the Bank. Haiti is expected to receive debt forgiveness for about $525 million of its debt through the Highly-Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative by mid-2009. The government relies on formal international economic assistance for fiscal sustainability.

 

Quoting Phoenix9 (Reply 33): Leading senator Youri Latortue told The Associated Press that 500,000 could be dead

I just heard the same in a special report on German tv. What a horrible disaster! I hope that the German rescue teams arrive as soon as possible to find as many survivors as possible!

Patrick

Quoting Ken777 (Reply 36): Quoting RFields5421 (Reply 29): The United States is not the only nation responding. There is no question about that. I believe we will see countries from Europe to Asia and other countries in the Americas to come in with impressive help Few, however, are as close as we are and have the potential ability of moving mountains. And moving mountains is what is needed to avoid more massive deaths.

Agreed - we do have the capacity greater than any others in this hemisphere, possibly the world.

But other nations adding support is important.

Not everyone remembers that the first nations to offer help after Katrina were Sri Lanka, Male, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia - those we helped after the Christmas Tsunami. They did remember our help and responded when we were in need.

My goodness, this is just terrible.
Reports of 100,000+ deaths.
This is very sad.

Comparisons to Katrina are no longer appropriate. This is looking a lot more like Hiroshima.

Quoting RFields5421 (Reply 40): Not everyone remembers that the first nations to offer help after Katrina were Sri Lanka, Male, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia - those we helped after the Christmas Tsunami. They did remember our help and responded when we were in need.

Pretty amazing, isn't it? The human spirit?

Judging by the list at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Haiti_earthquake - a lot of SAR teams from around the globe have already swung into action, from Belgium's B-Fast team going out on a Belgian Air Force A310, over China's National Earthquake Disaster Emergency Rescue Team, to Turkey's Red Crescent sending a team.

The Danish government has released an immediate $2 million from an emergency fund, and will be standing by to offer any aid that is requested. From what I can tell, there were only a handful of Danes in Haiti at the time of the Earthquake, and of them have been in contact with friends, relatives or Danish media.

Quoting Mirrodie (Reply 37): All that gold and glimmer in a church or cathedral may be elegant but does it really reflect the underlying tenets of that faith? I dont believe so.

Catholic Relief Service ( http://www.crs.org ) is currently being hammered, but I believe they will be sending whatever assistance they can. It's worth noting that they offer aid to anyone, regardless of religion.

Quoting D L X (Reply 42): This is looking a lot more like Hiroshima.

More like the numerous large-scale earthquakes we have witnessed in the past couple of years. Izmit, Bam, the Boxing Day tsunami, Kashmir, Sichuan, and now, Haiti.

Quoting Ken777 (Reply 6): As for moving in help, I have no doubt that the US will provide some vigorous help, as will other countries in the Americas. I believe, however, that this will be needing a full international effort and hope Europe to Asia can move quickly to provide help, from food and medical supplies to basics, like water purifying equipment, equipment for rescuing & rebuilding, etc.

Norwegian red cross is sending a fully equipped mobile field hospital manned with Norwegian surgons, nurses etc. It will be sendt from Norway on Thursday.

The Norwegian government says they are prepared to back up Norwegian aid organisations with presence in Haiti financially.

Quoting CPH-R (Reply 44): More like the numerous large-scale earthquakes we have witnessed in the past couple of years. Izmit, Bam, the Boxing Day tsunami, Kashmir, Sichuan, and now, Haiti.

If the casualty figures are correct, it's as bad as all of those rolled into one.

As if this unfortunate nation does not have enough problems, just last year a severe bunch of hurricanes almost one after the other.
It seems that many buildings in the capital were deemed not safe even in normal conditions.

This devastation certainly puts into perspective those here bitching about a bit of snow.

Quoting Mortyman (Reply 45): Norwegian red cross is sending a fully equipped mobile field hospital manned with Norwegian surgons, nurses etc. It will be sendt from Norway on Thursday. The Norwegian government says they are prepared to back up Norwegian aid organisations with presence in Haiti financially.

This is the time when the good in people and governments come out.

The only functioning hospital in Haiti as of now is the one donated and run by Argentina, I'm assuming the army branch. Over 1,500 people are admitted and 100 surgeries have been done, but obviously is nowhere remotely equipped to attend so many victims.

Edit: I want to apologize for a comment yesterday that a few might have read. If you didn't tough luck I won't say since it was rightfully removed and it is not the topic at hand, but I still feel the need to say I'm sorry. I was mad about another comment and then I said something wrong here and I know that. So once again, apologies. Moving on....

[Edited 2010-01-13 12:25:24]