NAfter a severe earthquake in southwest Haiti, the death toll rose to at least 304. The Civil Defense Department reported on Twitter on Saturday night (local time) that more than 1,800 people were injured. According to the US seismic monitoring station USGS, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake occurred in the country in the morning local time (local time), with the epicenter located about 160 kilometers southwest of the densely populated capital Port-au-Prince.
Among the dead was former Senator Jean Gabriel Fortuné, who was buried under the rubble of a hotel in Case City, according to information from the online portal Gazette Haiti. Two children, 7 and 9 years old, were killed in the city of Aquina.
The US Geological Survey issued a red alert on Saturday, hoping to cause casualties. She also mentioned the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010. The current earthquake shook the same peninsula in Haiti. The 2010 earthquake caused severe damage to Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas. At that time, more than 200,000 people died in this disaster.
The US authorities also mentioned the strong earthquake that occurred on Saturday near the southern coast of Alaska. It shook the area with a magnitude of 6.9. The agency wrote: “Although the two earthquakes have a corresponding relationship in time, the distance between the two events is very long, so it is unlikely that there will be a causal relationship.”
Haiti lifted its tsunami warning. The National Weather Service (NOAA) on Saturday advised people to be cautious. It said that in coastal areas near the earthquake, there may still be small fluctuations of up to 30 centimeters in sea level.
According to official information, the earthquake occurred about 12 kilometers away from the city of Saint-Louis-du-Sud, with a focal depth of about 10 kilometers. According to reports, many houses were destroyed by the earthquake. The exact extent of the damage was initially unclear.
The federal government is calling on people to avoid the affected areas in the southwestern part of the island state. “A large number of casualties and severe damage to buildings and infrastructure must be anticipated. There are still strong aftershocks,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned on Saturday night. “Avoid the affected area. Be familiar with what to do in the event of an earthquake and tsunami,” the travel and safety information says. “Follow the local media.”
The children’s charity UNICEF urged people to stay away from their homes through Twitter, especially to protect their children. Save the Children also expressed great concern for the children. The organization’s on-site staff reported “horrible destruction”: the house was said to have collapsed and many people were injured and killed. Even if it takes a few days to fully understand the extent of the damage, it is clear that Haiti is in a state of humanitarian emergency. “We must now respond quickly and decisively to protect children,” said Leila Bourahla, national director of Save the Children in Haiti.
The Maltese team is also preparing rescue measures
At the same time, the United States has pledged to provide rapid assistance to Caribbean countries. “Our experts are already on the spot to assess the losses and needs,” Samantha Bowles, head of the United States Agency for International Development, the United States’ development cooperation and emergency assistance agency, wrote on Twitter on Saturday. Now people want to react quickly. US President Joe Biden has learned of the situation in Haiti and has asked the United States Agency for International Development to coordinate the US response.
The team of Malteser International is also preparing the first batch of emergency assistance measures for the people in Haiti. “We expect today’s earthquake to have devastating consequences,” the organization said in Cologne on Saturday night. According to the Maltese, the construction of stone houses in the disaster-stricken area of Nipez Province is very simple. Employees of the local cooperative organization reported that buildings such as houses of cards have collapsed.
Yolette Etienne, the project coordinator of Malteser International in Haiti, was shocked. “I can’t believe what the Haitian people have to endure. They had very few yesterday. They really have nothing today.” Help will be provided as soon as possible.
The damage caused by the 2010 earthquake is estimated at 8 billion U.S. dollars (6.2 billion euros). The slow start of reconstruction was also due to political instability. The President of Haiti, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated in July. He was ambushed and shot dead by heavily armed commandos at his residence.
