MrBishop
Well-Known Member
LinkThe Haitian capital has largely been destroyed in the most powerful earthquake to hit the country in more than 200 years.
Journalists from The Associated Press describe severe and widespread casualties after touring the streets of Port-au-Prince.
The damage is staggering even in a country accustomed to tragedy and disaster. AP reporters said the National Palace is a crumbled ruin and tens of thousands of people are homeless.
Many gravely injured people sit in the street, pleading for doctors many hours after the quake. In public squares thousands of people are singing hymns and holding hands.
The 7.0-magnitude quake struck at 4:53 p.m. Tuesday, leaving large numbers of people unaccounted for.
An aid official described "total disaster and chaos."
Communications were widely disrupted, making it impossible to get a clear picture of damage as powerful aftershocks shook a desperately poor country where many buildings are flimsy. Electricity was out in some places.
Karel Zelenka, a Catholic Relief Services representative in Port-au-Prince, told U.S. colleagues before phone service failed that "there must be thousands of people dead," according to a spokeswoman for the aid group Sara Fajardo.
"He reported that it was just total disaster and chaos, that there were clouds of dust surrounding Port-au-Prince," Fajardo said from the group's offices in Maryland.
Montreal has the largest Haitian population outside of Haiti proper. We're hearing a lot about this.