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UPDATE VIDEOS 304 DEAD 1800 INJURED TSUNAMI HITS HAITI Magnitude 7
UPDATE 29 DEAD CARIBBEAN VIDEOS TSUNAMI HITS HAITI Magnitude 7 Rocks Haiti
Video shows destroyed homes and panicked Haitians after 7.2 magnitude earthquake
A major earthquake struck western Haiti on Saturday morning and was felt across the Caribbean.
Authorities report that 29 people have been confirmed dead and the prime minister has declared a state of emergency.
People fled their homes for fear that buildings might collapse when the magnitude 7.2 tremor struck at approximately 8.30am.
A 5.2 magnitude aftershock was also recorded about 20 minutes after the initial shaking, several smaller shocks followed.
The epicentre of the quake was 8km (5 miles) from the town of Petit Trou de Nippes, about 150km west of the capital Port-au-Prince.
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KEY POINTS
Haitian PM declares state of emergency
29 confirmed dead by authorities
Video: Mass damage and panic in Haiti after 7.2 magnitude earthquake hits Caribbean
Tropical Storm Grace heading towards Haiti
Quake is bigger than 2010 tremor that devastated country
4 minutes ago
Huge amount of damage in Les Cayes
There is a huge amount of damage in the town of Les Cayes. A hotel has reportedly collapsed and there are many injured.
One video identifies the hotel as Hotel Le Manguier.
USAID experts on the ground assessing needs
USAID, the federal agency for development assistance, has experts on the ground in Haiti assessing the damage from the quake and the needs in the affected areas.
Haitian prime minister declares state of emergency
Prime Minister Dr Ariel Henry has declared an official state of emergency.
He tweeted: “We will make the necessary arrangements to assist people affected by the earthquake in the Southern Peninsula. We must show a lot of solidarity with regard to the emergency. The government will declare a state of emergency. We will act quickly.”
Learning from the 2010 earthquake
Dr Susan Hough at the USGS notes that there is now a network in place in Haiti to help understand earthquakes that strike the country as part of the legacy of the 2010 quake.
Dr Hough notes that much of the shaking appears to have occurred in sparsely populated parts of the country.
Damage in town of Cavaillon near epicentre
Haitian entrepreneur Marc Alain Boucicault has tweeted images of the damage in the town in Cavaillon, near the epicentre of the earthquake.
Oliver O’Connell14 August 2021 17:59
1 hour ago
Unicef on standby to help in Haiti
Unicef Latin America tweeted: “We’re concern and deeply saddened by the news of today’s strong 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Haiti. @UNICEFHaiti is on standby to provide support to communities and the Government. We stand in solidarity during this difficult time.”
From Reuters:
The earthquake comes as Haiti is already mired in intertwined political, humanitarian, and security crises.
The government is in turmoil, a month after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, while swaths of the country are facing growing hunger, and healthcare services are overwhelmed by Covid-19. Access to the southern region, where the quake struck, has been restricted by gang control of key areas.
“This country just never finds a break! Each year of mismanagement did not hurt but the cumulative effects made us vulnerable to everything,” said Haitian entrepreneur Marc Alain Boucicault on Twitter.
“Its going to take years to fix things and we have not even started!”
Oliver O’Connell14 August 2021 17:32
1 hour ago
Fallen walls, collapsed roofs, and crushed cars litter the streets
Oliver O’Connell14 August 2021 17:21
1 hour ago
Haitian prime minister travelling to impacted area
Dr Ariel Henry, prime minister of Haiti, is travelling to the affected areas to assess the damage.
He tweeted: “Following the earthquake which caused enormous damage in the South, Grand’Anse, and Nippes, I have already mobilized the entire government team to urgently adopt all the necessary measures.”
“I go there, with the proper authorities, in the hours that follow to assess the situation as a whole.”
UPDATE 7 Magnitude 7 Rocks Haiti One Day After Dominican Republic And St Martin Experienced Tremors
Major Earthquake Strikes Haiti, 1-3 Meter Tsunami Waves Possible Near Haitian Coast
SATURDAY, 14 AUGUST 2021, 8:50
At 8:29 AM Saturday 14th August 2021, a major (preliminary) magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the Haitian Peninsula approximately 12.2 KM NE of Saint-Louis du Sud, Sud, Haiti, 33.2 KM ENE of Les Cayes, Sud, Haiti, and 42.6 KM WSW of Miragoâne, Nippes, Haiti.
Though earthquake parameters are expected to change in the coming hours as more data comes to hand, this major earthquake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers, centered on land at 18.352°N 73.480°W.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), light to moderate shaking was reported across Jamaica, Cuba, Southeastern Bahamas, the Tucks, and Caicos and the Dominican Republic. Strong to severe shaking has been reported in Haiti, with violent shaking reported near the epicenter of the quake.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, responsible for issuing tsunami threat messages for the Caribbean Region, stated in a Tsunami Information Statement at 8:38 AM, “Based on all available data, there is no significant tsunami threat from this earthquake. However, there is a very small possibility of tsunami waves along coasts located nearest the epicenter.”
However, in their second update, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center is now warning that tsunami waves between 1.0 meters and 3.0 meters are possible. The PTWC advises “Actual amplitudes at the coast may vary from forecast amplitudes due to uncertainties in the forecast and local features. Maximum tsunami amplitudes on atolls or small islands and at locations with fringing or barrier reefs will likely be much smaller than the forecast indicates.”
Aftershocks have been reported felt in Haiti, with the largest so far occurring at 8:49 AM at a preliminary magnitude of 5.2.
According to the USGS, there high numbers of casualties are probable with significant damage likely.
Note that different seismic monitoring agencies use different methods, or several methods, for processing quake parameters across the globe. Each method has its limitations and will likely produce different results within the ranges of the data’s uncertainty. This is generally accepted within the scientific community.
Earthquakes *cannot* be predicted – meaning the precise time, date, magnitude, depth, etc. cannot be known ahead of time based on current research and technology.
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Seismic waves from the 8:29 AM Haitian earthquake are rolling across Trinidad and Tobago. These waves are too small to be felt, normal for large earthquakes and generally are only detected by very sensitive instruments (seismometers). pic.twitter.com/ldoIlegbhh— Kalain Hosein (@KalainH) August 14, 2021
Historical patterns indicate great quakes (M8.0+) on the Richter Scale have occurred every century or so in the region. The probability of another event at that level is high since the last >M8.0 earthquake occurred in 1843.
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