The magnitude 7.2 quake severely destroyed few cities, burying people in the rubble of collapsed buildings. It was more powerful than the 2010 quake, that was also terrible which killed more than 220,000 people.
Here’s what you need to know:
-
A powerful earthquake violently shakes Haiti. thousands are dead.
-
The latest Haiti earthquake was more powerful than the destructive quake in 2010.
-
Haiti still in the possible path of Tropical Storm trace .
-
‘The streets are filled with screaming’: display from Haiti after the quake.
-
Haitian Americans are making random calls to find out if their loved ones are safe.
-
Social media posts from the quake-damaged area of Haiti help convey the disaster’s scope.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — A magnitude 7.2 earthquake violently shark Haiti on Saturday morning, a devastating flow to an impoverished country reeling from a presidential assassination last month and still recovering from a disastrous quake more than 11 years ago.
The quake overwhelmed hospitals, flattened buildings and trapped people under rubble in at least two cities in the western part of the country’s southern peninsula. At least 500+ people were killed and more than 2500 injured, according to Jerry Chandler, the director general of the Civil Protection Agency. An untold number were missing.
“The streets are filled with screaming,” said Archdeacon Abiade Lozama, head of an Episcopal church in Les Cayes, one of the afflicted cities. “People are searching, for loved ones or resources, medical help, water. ”
The disaster could hardly have come at a worse time for the nation of 11 million, which has been in the throes of a political issues since President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated on July 7.
The uncovered assassination , a leadership vacuum, severe poverty and systematic gang violence in parts of Haiti have left the government dysfunctional and ill prepared for a natural disasters.
Much of the initial information about the quake came via social media postings and phone because of the security dangers in traveling to the affected area, which is at least five hours away by road from Port-au-Prince, the capital.
The United States Geological Survey said the quake struck five miles from the town of Petit Trou de Nippes in the western part of the country, about 80 miles west of Port-au-Prince. Seismologists told it had a depth of seven miles and was felt as far away as 200 miles in Jamaica.