by Alicia Cruz
Editor-in-Chief
Editor-in-Chief
The Black Urban Times
In a span of five minutes, the worst earthquake in 200 years rocked Haiti causing what news correspondents have described as "billions of dollars" in damages. Power supply and phone lines are down. Thousands are feared dead, injured and/or missing after a 7.0 magnitude quake hit approximately 10 miles southwest of the Caribbean nation's capital city of Port-au-Prince on Tuesday.
Raymond Joseph, Haiti's ambassador to the U.S., said the Presidential Palace, the tax office, the Ministry of Commerce and the Foreign Ministry had all been badly damaged. These were among the most sturdiest of structures in the city so the world can only imagine the state of utter devastation the country's residential housing are in.
Ambassador Joseph said that Haitian President Rene Preval and his wife both survived the quake.
Efforts to get injured residents to hospitals have been hampered by streets blocked by rubble from collapsed buildings.
Aftershocks continued to rock the city every 15 to 20 minutes lasting anywhere from three to five seconds. The first aftershock was said to have been the strongest and caused buildings to crumble throwing people onto the streets. Houses that once lined a hillside now lay in depredation in a ravine.
As night fell, chaos and confusion increased. Rachmani Domersant, an operations manager with the Food for the Poor charity who is situated in the hillside suburb of Petionville said: "You have thousands of people sitting in the streets with nowhere to go. There are people running, crying, screaming. People are trying to dig victims out with flashlights. I think hundreds of casualties would be a serious understatement."
The offices of the World Bank in Haiti were destroyed, but a Reuters report said that most of the staff had been accounted for.
The local headquarters for the UN in Haiti issued a statement via the New York UN stating that the building had sustained serious damage along with other UN installations and a large number of UN personnel were unaccounted for.
Mike Blanpied of the US Geological Survey told BBC news, "This quake occurred under land as opposed to off-shore, so a lot of people were directly exposed to the shaking coming off that earthquake fault, which was quite shallow. Based on the location and size of the quake, about three million people would have been severely shaken by its impact."
CNN reports stated the monstrous quake was felt as far as Cuba.
Haiti, which occupies the western third of the Island of Hispaniola, is the second poorest country in the world following Nicaragua so it is likely they will require international aid for years to come in order to dig themselves out from under this catastrophe.
As the night wears on, the trepidation of millions of native Haitians living in the U.S. grows as they wait to hear of the well-being of family members in Haiti.
Native Haitian, music artist and poet, Nuage resides in Gloucester, Ontario Canada and has family in Haiti. She says, "I'm devastated. Communication is down and its dark. It's late and we are not sleeping."
Reports filter in from different news sources indicating that by first light, aid and rescue workers will be better able to apprise the world of the verity of this catastrophe.
In the immediate aftermath of the quake, news stringers reported that the Port-au-Prince airport, while not badly damaged, was closed and would remain close until thoroughly inspected.
Passengers were boarding American Airlines Flight 1908 in Haiti when the earthquake struck on Tuesday.
The Miami, Florida bound flight was scheduled to depart Haiti at 5:30 p.m. but fearing damage to the runway, the flight was delayed and did not takeoff until 6:45 p.m. after damage to the runway was accessed.
American Airline spokeswoman Andrea Huguely said, 49 passengers and 11 crew members landed safely at the Miami airport at 8:33 p.m. The flight was originally set to carry 176 passengers, but many opted to stay behind.
Spirit Airlines based out of Miramar, Florida issued a statement indicating that it "is working on a relief effort" for Haiti and added that they planned to reinstate their Fort Lauderdale to Haiti flights as soon as the airport in Port-au-Prince opens.
Producer and musician, Wyclef Jean, a native of Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti asked Haitian-Americans and Americans to band together and help those in need in Haiti.
In 2004, Jean, along with cousin Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis and humanitarian experts Sanjay Rawal and Natabara Rollosson, created a non-political organization called Yéle Haiti.
Jean said his vision was to provide humanitarian aid to Haiti; to empower his people and the Haitian diaspora to have hope as they rebuild and restore pride across Haiti. The multi- platinum producer and former member of The hit group Fugees is boarding a plane to the Dominican Republic headed for his native land as we speak.
Jean became a roving ambassador for Haiti in 2007. Click here to read Wyclef's statement on the earthquake in Haiti.
SUPPORT PROJECT YELE HAITI. CLICK HERE
In a span of five minutes, the worst earthquake in 200 years rocked Haiti causing what news correspondents have described as "billions of dollars" in damages. Power supply and phone lines are down. Thousands are feared dead, injured and/or missing after a 7.0 magnitude quake hit approximately 10 miles southwest of the Caribbean nation's capital city of Port-au-Prince on Tuesday.
Raymond Joseph, Haiti's ambassador to the U.S., said the Presidential Palace, the tax office, the Ministry of Commerce and the Foreign Ministry had all been badly damaged. These were among the most sturdiest of structures in the city so the world can only imagine the state of utter devastation the country's residential housing are in.
Ambassador Joseph said that Haitian President Rene Preval and his wife both survived the quake.
Efforts to get injured residents to hospitals have been hampered by streets blocked by rubble from collapsed buildings.
Aftershocks continued to rock the city every 15 to 20 minutes lasting anywhere from three to five seconds. The first aftershock was said to have been the strongest and caused buildings to crumble throwing people onto the streets. Houses that once lined a hillside now lay in depredation in a ravine.
As night fell, chaos and confusion increased. Rachmani Domersant, an operations manager with the Food for the Poor charity who is situated in the hillside suburb of Petionville said: "You have thousands of people sitting in the streets with nowhere to go. There are people running, crying, screaming. People are trying to dig victims out with flashlights. I think hundreds of casualties would be a serious understatement."
The offices of the World Bank in Haiti were destroyed, but a Reuters report said that most of the staff had been accounted for.
The local headquarters for the UN in Haiti issued a statement via the New York UN stating that the building had sustained serious damage along with other UN installations and a large number of UN personnel were unaccounted for.
Mike Blanpied of the US Geological Survey told BBC news, "This quake occurred under land as opposed to off-shore, so a lot of people were directly exposed to the shaking coming off that earthquake fault, which was quite shallow. Based on the location and size of the quake, about three million people would have been severely shaken by its impact."
CNN reports stated the monstrous quake was felt as far as Cuba.
Haiti, which occupies the western third of the Island of Hispaniola, is the second poorest country in the world following Nicaragua so it is likely they will require international aid for years to come in order to dig themselves out from under this catastrophe.
As the night wears on, the trepidation of millions of native Haitians living in the U.S. grows as they wait to hear of the well-being of family members in Haiti.
Native Haitian, music artist and poet, Nuage resides in Gloucester, Ontario Canada and has family in Haiti. She says, "I'm devastated. Communication is down and its dark. It's late and we are not sleeping."
Reports filter in from different news sources indicating that by first light, aid and rescue workers will be better able to apprise the world of the verity of this catastrophe.
In the immediate aftermath of the quake, news stringers reported that the Port-au-Prince airport, while not badly damaged, was closed and would remain close until thoroughly inspected.
Passengers were boarding American Airlines Flight 1908 in Haiti when the earthquake struck on Tuesday.
The Miami, Florida bound flight was scheduled to depart Haiti at 5:30 p.m. but fearing damage to the runway, the flight was delayed and did not takeoff until 6:45 p.m. after damage to the runway was accessed.
American Airline spokeswoman Andrea Huguely said, 49 passengers and 11 crew members landed safely at the Miami airport at 8:33 p.m. The flight was originally set to carry 176 passengers, but many opted to stay behind.
Spirit Airlines based out of Miramar, Florida issued a statement indicating that it "is working on a relief effort" for Haiti and added that they planned to reinstate their Fort Lauderdale to Haiti flights as soon as the airport in Port-au-Prince opens.
Producer and musician, Wyclef Jean, a native of Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti asked Haitian-Americans and Americans to band together and help those in need in Haiti.
In 2004, Jean, along with cousin Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis and humanitarian experts Sanjay Rawal and Natabara Rollosson, created a non-political organization called Yéle Haiti.
Jean said his vision was to provide humanitarian aid to Haiti; to empower his people and the Haitian diaspora to have hope as they rebuild and restore pride across Haiti. The multi- platinum producer and former member of The hit group Fugees is boarding a plane to the Dominican Republic headed for his native land as we speak.
Jean became a roving ambassador for Haiti in 2007. Click here to read Wyclef's statement on the earthquake in Haiti.
SUPPORT PROJECT YELE HAITI. CLICK HERE
The U.S. has set up a toll-free number for people who have family or friends in Haiti and are trying to find out if they are OK. Please call 1-888-407-4747.
WYCLEF: "WE NEED AID IMMEDIATELY"
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