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As mentioned earlier, the casualty toll is expected to be high, as the earthquake measured 7.0 and the country has many shantytowns.
New York Times
There were at least a dozen aftershocks — the worst two were 5.9 and 5.5 magnitude — that followed in the next hour, and more were expected, according to David Wald, a seismologist with the survey.
“The main issue here will probably be shaking,” Mr. Wald said, “and this is an area that is particularly vulnerable in terms of construction practice, and with a high population density. There could be a high number of casualties.”
According to several news reports, a large hospital in the capital had collapsed, and people were screaming in streets full of rubble.
Haiti’s ambassador to the United States, Raymond Alcide Joseph, said in an interview on CNN that the country’s first lady, Elisabeth Débrosse Delatour, called the Haitian consul general in Miami to report that although she and the president, René Préval, were fine, the presidential palace and the nation’s ministry of commerce were damaged.
From the Haitian Times:
A group of Haitian American leaders, state and local officials met late last night to map out a humanitarian relief efforts as the extent of the damage from a category 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti.
The group will send a couple of people in the ground as early as Wednesday for a quick assessment. The goal is to get about 300 people, mostly health care professionals engineers to support foreign government’s efforts.
A command center will be set up and then the volunteers will arrive after logistics are set up.
The group is hoping to have things in place by this weekend.
“Our goal is to do humanitarian work, and not first aid,” said Brooklyn physician, Jean Claude Compas during the conference of scores of people.
The community feels powerless:
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.
Al Jazerra English:
A Food for the Poor charity employee said there that there were likely to be many casualties given the destruction he had witnessed in the capital.
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"The whole city is in darkness, you have thousands of people sitting in the streets, with nowhere to go," Rachmani Domersant, the charity's operations manager, said.
"I've seen seven to eight buildings, from office buildings to hotels and shopping stores, collapsed ... I think hundreds of casualties would be a serious understatement."
Karel Zelenka, a Catholic Relief Services representative in Port-au-Prince, told colleagues in the US that "there must be thousands of people dead", according to a spokeswoman for the aid group.
Sara Fajardo said from Catholic Relief's offices in Maryland: "[Zelenka] reported that it was just total disaster and chaos, that there were clouds of dust surrounding Port-au-Prince."
Photo from AFP/Twitter:
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