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Impoverished nation thrown into chaos as 7.0 quake hits densely populated capital, crushing presidential palace and a hospital; Officials and aid agencies scrambling to determine extent of devastation
Anna Mehler Paperny and John Ibbitson
The Globe and Mail Published on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010 5:26PM EST Last updated on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010 11:10PM EST
One of the most powerful earthquakes to ever hit the region slammed impoverished Haiti, leaving the nation in chaos and the global community scrambling to assess the damage and bring aid.
The 7.0 earthquake hit several kilometres southwest of the densely populated capital Port-au-Prince in the late afternoon, but multiple aftershocks continued into the late evening, creating confusion on the ground and internationally.
It was impossible to assess the extensive damage, although reports came in that among the many buildings that came crashing to the ground, a hospital in nearby Pétionville was crushed and both the presidential palace and the headquarters of the United Nations' peace-building mission were extensively damaged.
Much of the country's phone system – both land lines and mobile phones – remained down late into the evening, leaving government officials and aid agencies in the dark as they tried to determine the extent of devastation in a country still in the grips of political turmoil and recovering from devastating hurricanes less than two years ago.
“The situation is quite precarious – this will have a devastating effect,” said Isabelle Marin, a disaster manager with the Red Cross.
Ottawa resident David Moore was in Port-au-Prince visiting his partner, who was at work in the Canadian embassy, when their house began shaking violently.
“I have never experienced anything like it,” Mr. Moore said via e-mail. “I thought the house was going to collapse on top of me. I ran outdoors and into the clear.”
Once outside, Mr. Moore could see nothing but enormous clouds of dust in most directions.
Raymond Joseph, Haiti's ambassador to the United States, called the scene of devastation “a catastrophe of major proportions,” in a telephone call with CNN from Port-au-Prince.
The quake left hundreds of thousands of Haitian-Canadians in a state of tense confusion as calls to friends and relatives went unanswered. A local doctor told Agence France-Presse the deaths were in the hundreds, and the Red Cross said hospitals are at capacity with people desperately seeking medical attention in the under-resourced region.
The United Nations, which has had a peace-building team in Haiti for decades, said it was unable to account for a “large number” of its staff on the ground.
The Port-au-Prince headquarters of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti, as well as several other UN installations, were severely damaged in the quake. Canada has been an active player in continuing peacekeeping in Haiti, and as of February, 2009, the RCMP had close to 100 UNPOL officers serving with the stabilization mission.
Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon said he wasn't able to reach Haiti's Foreign Minister but had been in touch with Canadian Ambassador Claude Boucher, who said that, as far as he knows, no Canadians were among those killed.
“From the preliminary assessment the ambassador gave to us, I can say we don't have any information that would lead us to believe Canadians have been affected,” Mr. Cannon said.
The Canadian embassy has been evacuated as a precautionary measure and Mr. Cannon urged the thousands of Canadians in Haiti to contact family and friends in Canada to assure them they're all right.
Canada has yet to decide whether to send its Disaster Assistance Response Team to the quake-torn area – officials still need to assess the damage and available equipment, Mr. Cannon said.
The relief team came under fire several years ago for failing to respond quickly to a tsunami that swept Sri Lanka and other countries in 2004.
Other nations were quick to pledge support Tuesday: French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said France is preparing to urgently dispatch aid to Haiti.
U.S. President Barack Obama said his administration is “ready to assist the people of Haiti.” The Department of State, USAID and the U.S. Southern Command are assessing the damage and need for assistance.
“My thoughts and prayers go out to those who have been affected by this earthquake,” he said.
The Red Cross's Ms. Marin, speaking from Panama, said she's going with an emergency Red Cross team to Haiti on Wednesday.
“We're monitoring the situation right now with the Haitian Red Cross. … We've started co-ordinating efforts for search and rescue, which is the first thing we do following this type of disaster,” she said, adding that the airport is functioning, although she wasn't sure about road access between communities.
“The next 24 hours are critical. Aftershocks can obviously create more damage so it's something that needs to be monitored very closely.”
Canadian charity CARE was among many Canadian agencies struggling to contact its teams in Haiti, where it has about 100 people working on multiple projects, largely in rural areas, including hurricane relief following the 2008 storms.
“We have been completely unable to establish contact with our people down there,” spokesman Kieran Green said.
Haitian-born Governor-General Michaëlle Jean said she's following the unfolding disaster “with great attention and concern.
“This natural disaster has hit a country with an extremely fragile infrastructure, where many buildings are already unstable, and where living conditions are often very difficult. I fear for its people,” she said. “I would like all Haitians to know that they are not alone and that the people of Canada will respond to this emergency.”
Aftershocks continued late into the night, Mr. Moore said, “so the tension is still quite high.” Many people were planning to sleep outdoors, he said.
The earthquake's devastating effect is magnified by the notoriously abysmal infrastructure in much of the country.
“This is frightening as there are so many poorly built houses built almost on top of one another on the sides of hills,” Mr. Moore said. “I can only imagine that many have collapsed.”
With reports from the Associated Press
Sulamérica Trânsito
