Haitian Quake Disaster

LessBread · 2010-01-15T15:55:39

A 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Port-au-Prince yesterday around 5 p.m. local time (Haiti earthquake feared to have killed many, Fierce Quake Devastates Haitian Capital, Quake hits Haiti; reports of `catastrophe of major proportions' emerging). The quake was foreseen at least as long ago as 2008, but Haiti was too poor to prepare (Possibilty of Earthquake in Port-au-Prince?). There have been more than a dozen aftershocks, some of substantial magnitude (Latest Earthquakes in the World - Past 7 days, Historic World Earthquakes - Magnitude 6.0 and Greater). As a rule of thumb, the energy of a 4.0 magnitude quake is comparable with the energy of 1 kiloton of TNT (Moment magnitude scale). Rough math indicates this quake had energy equivalent to 29,791 kilotons of TNT. That would be a 29 megaton bomb. As I write this, current time in Port-au-Prince is a little after 3:30 am Wednesday (EST). Sunrise is at 6:24 AM EST (Port-Au-Prince, Haiti - Weather Conditions). I expect the images of devastation will be horrific. Sadly, I think that Haiti will be lucky if the death toll is less than 100,000. Donations to the relief effort can be made through UNICEF, the Red Cross and other organizations. My thoughts are with Haiti tonight.

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Started by LessBread January 13, 2010 02:20 AM

21 comments, last by LessBread 14 years, 10 months ago

WazzatMan

102

January 15, 2010 03:12 PM

For anyone who is interested, here's a petition which requests that the World Community forgives Haiti's debt: http://one.org/international/actnow/haiti/?rc=haitifb

ddn3

1,610

January 15, 2010 03:44 PM

A string of recent large earthquakes in the Americas, very strange. A 6.5 off coast of Northern California, a 4.1 off Bay area San Francisco, a 6.0 Guerrero Mexico, and now the 7.0 Hati and 5.7 Venezuela. All within a span of 3 weeks. Something big is coming it seems maybe 2012 arrives early! :D

-ddn

LessBread

Author

1,415

January 15, 2010 03:55 PM

Help Haiti - Drop the debt Dear Finance Ministers, IMF, World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank and bilateral creditors, As Haiti rebuilds from this disaster, please work to secure the immediate cancellation of Haiti’s $890 million debt and ensure that any emergency earthquake assistance is provided in the forms of grants, not debt-incurring loans.

Do it now!

"I thought what I'd do was, I'd pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes." - the Laughing Man

Haitian Quake Disaster

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