Major Earthquake hits Haitian Capital
A strong earthquake of magnitude 7.3 shook Haiti yesterday afternoon. Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas and the Northern Hemisphere, are waking up today to the aftermath and are able to veirfy the extent of the damage caused. The earthquake's epicenter was located just 15 km from Port au Prince, the capital. The earth shook for about a minute more. Reuters have reported that several buildings have collapsed in the Haitian Capital, including a hospital. In addition, there have been scenes of panic among the population. Haiti's ambassador to the United States has reported to the news agencies that it is "a catastrophe of great magnitude." President Barack Obama said shortly after midnight that his country was "prepared to assist the people of Haiti." The quake virtually cut off the capital of Haiti. Phone lines have stopped working in the city or are congested while power and water supplies have been seriosuly affectedEffects Felt in the Dominican Republic
The quake was also felt intensely in much of the Dominican Republic, especially in the east, northeast, south and Cibao region. The civil defense chief Luis Luna Paulino immediately began to collect data on the effects caused by the quake. Although no injuries have been reported on the Dominican side of the island, strong tremors were felt in San Juan de la Maguana, Nagua (north-east), the capital (Santo Domingo) and San Isidro (east of Santo Domingo).
The movement occurred at about 18:50 local and immediately thousands of people took to the streets of the Dominican capital as a preventive measure against possible landslides and severe damage.
At the time of writing, there have since been 30 aftershocks, all measuring between 4.5 and 5.9 on the Richter Scale, which are affecting rescue efforts.
The Worldwide community are preparing to help the Haitian people and send medicines, food, medical supplies and teams of Doctors to the affected area.
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Dominican Republic News Archive
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