Haiti needs help
Haiti is one of the poorest countries in our hemisphere. They have a dense population on and island that has just been devastated by what is currently being reported as a 7.0 to 7.3 earthquake. As monitoring data is collected and analyzed there will be further updates on these numbers. The government there is not in the position for a disaster of this magnitude. We need to work to ensure that the population there doesn't languish awaiting aid.
What follows is a diary of what we know at this early point.
This was from CNN and USGS 21:53:09 UTC. Below the fold.
My initial diary linked here.:
This was from CNN and USGS 21:53:09 UTC. Below the fold.
pantherq's diary :: ::
I was channel surfing when this caught my eye. From CNN dot com.
The USGS has several maps. And data.
There are probably injuries due to it's size and proximity to population centers.
I will update as more develops.
1 update.
Update: warning has not been extended. I'm checking now if it was not just on television if so I was in error in using this link.
There has been a tsunami warning issued here isNOAA dot gov. Currently No warning posted from this seismic event.
There is limited communication keeping in mind that this is the poorest country in the region.
Update: There is limited government capability there < img src="http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/minustah/images/visual.jpg"/> .
There are some UN forces on the island but their numbers are not high enough to do all the work.
Peacekeepers: Are there to maintain a stable government.
I had to go to Reuters to find out the Pacific Tsunami warning center did issue a warning. But they are on the other side of the globe and their meters register a warning mode when a strong one strikes on other plates.
All further updates will be in comments.
This is a densely populated island with buildings that are not earthquake safe. Photo thanks to Eileen B:
There is a Reuters report from dizzydean:
A major earthquake hit the impoverished country of Haiti on Tuesday, collapsing buildings in the capital Port-au-Prince and burying residents under rubble, a Reuters reporter in the city said.
He said he saw dozens of dead and injured people in the rubble, which blocked streets in the city.
"Everything started shaking, people were screaming, houses started collapsing ... it's total chaos," Reuters reporter Joseph Guyler Delva said. "I saw people under the rubble, and people killed," he added.
A local employee for the U.S. charity Food for the Poor reported seeing a five-storey building collapse in Port-au-Prince, a spokeswoman for the group, Kathy Skipper, told Reuters.
Another Food for the Poor employee said there were more houses destroyed than standing in Delmas Road, a major thoroughfare in the city.
Panic-stricken residents filled the streets desperately trying to dig people from rubble or seeking missing relatives as dark fell shortly after the quake.
"People were screaming 'Jesus, Jesus' and running in all directions," Delva said.
The dust made sight difficult after the major quake. Damage is reported to be significant. Photo thanks to Richard Cranium:
The NY Times has reported there are survivors in the hospital.
Elsie St. Louis-Accilien, the director of the Haitian Americans United for Progress in Queens, N.Y., said that she was able to reach the director of Ofatma hospital, in Port-au-Prince. “They are trapped inside,” Ms. St. Louis-Accilien said in a telephone interview. “They were pretty shaken, but they were relieved to be alive.”
She said that the director said that there was “a lot of smoke, a lot of dust,” and that her phone has been ringing nonstop. “People are calling me, elected officials are calling, asking what we can do.”
We have kossaks in the earthquake zone based on kos grapevine.
Update Parryander is safe according to this recent post,
Parrander is OK: (36+ / 0-)
Recommended by:Phoenix Woman, Rayne, Debby, SallyCat, BlackSheep1, celticshel, SneakySnu, Dallasdoc, lizah, parryander, historys mysteries, sandblaster, escapee, KnotIookin, terrypinder, amRadioHed, LNK, Pam from Calif, Cory Bantic, dancewater, MissInformation, dharmafarmer, Picot verde, jetskreemr, condorcet, wonderful world, mayim, kyril, MinervainNH, Deoliver47, mamamorgaine, NY brit expat, cai, Sand Hill Crane, princesspat, MichaelNY
Parryander here
and just back from Haiti this afternoon - I flew out at 2 pm. Yes - can't post in that diary.
Tell folks to donate to MSF, if they don't have a favorite. They are on the ground in PaP.
We could always use some help - we have a bob cat, dump truck and water trucks, but they will operate regadless. HealingHaiti - is our group.
I am utterly devated and want to turn around and go back.
I can;t reach anyone, and I really fear for those I love - I am safe, but I am devasted,
I'm in the Detroit airport right now - on a hotel computer. I'll write more when I have the chance.
"Junkies find veins in their toes when the ones in their arms and legs collapse." - Al Gore
I just upgraded internet speed. Now I can be late to the best diaries, faster.
by mississippi boatrat on Wed Jan 13, 2010 at 12:39:33 AM EST
Hi ms badger, former splasher here
Here is parryander's last comment here, posted on 1/5 from Haiti.
greetings from (11+ / 0-)
Haiti - I thought I'd drop by for a moment with wishes of bon anne.
all's okay here - rough times for plenty of folks, but realative quiet - I'll try to jot some thoughts later.
got a pokey net here, but will try to drop by again. be well all!
"Junkies find veins in their toes when the ones in their arms and legs collapse." - Al Gore
by parryander on Tue Jan 05, 2010
Tsunami watches were activated and then expired as the data showed no tsunami activity.
There are relief efforts being mobilized including Unicef, International Medical Corps, Red Cross, and the State Department has activated a emergency depot in Panama.
Here is a list from the CNN website of aid organizations mobilizing to aid Haiti. Thanks to betson08:
How you can help:
• International Medical Corps
• Direct Relief International
• World Vision
• International Relief Teams
• Yéle Haiti
• International Red Cross
• CARE
• Catholic Relief Services
• World Food Programme
• World Concern
• Save the Children
• UNICEF USA
If we do not want to see this become a larger disaster we need to contact our Congresscritters and let them know we want these people helped.
Whitehouse
U.S. Senate
U.S. House of Representatives
Here is a report from the Haitian Times via cosmic debris:
At this moment, the number of death and people injured are not known. People could be heard screaming and crying. The metropolitan area is home to two million people in an area originally planned for 200,000. Houses are poorly constructed with lax codes, if any.
"The earthquake registered at 7.0- with an aftershock of 5.9. The palace has been severely damaged said, Frank Williams, national director for World Vision in Haiti.
"This is a catastrophe of major proportions, said Raymond Joseph, Haitian ambassador to the United States, on CNN The Situation Room. "The place is really bad now."
Joseph made a plea for the world to come to Haiti’s rescue at this moment of intense grief.
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.
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.
The State Department has a number for those seeking word of family members in Haiti. Much thanks to GlowNZ:
State Dept. Operations Center has set up the following number for Americans seeking info about family members in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747
I will update this diary through comments due to the nature of the story. was channel surfing when this caught my eye. From CNN dot com.
The USGS has several maps. And data.
There are probably injuries due to it's size and proximity to population centers.
I will update as more develops.
1 update.
Update: warning has not been extended. I'm checking now if it was not just on television if so I was in error in using this link.
There has been a tsunami warning issued here isNOAA dot gov. Currently No warning posted from this seismic event.
There is limited communication keeping in mind that this is the poorest country in the region.
Update: There is limited government capability there.
There are some UN forces on the island but their numbers are not high enough to do all the work.
Peacekeepers are there to maintain a stable government.
I had to go to Reuters to find out the Pacific Tsunami warning center did issue a warning. But they are on the other side of the globe and their meters register a warning mode when a strong one strikes on other plates.
All further updates will be in comments.