11 years ago after a massive earthquake hit the Carribean nation of Haiti in 2010, the south of this poor country was faced once again with another strong earthquake of a magnitude of 7.2 on the morning of Saturday August 14th.
Even though the epicentre of Saturday’s quake was about 12 km (7.5 miles) from the town of Saint-Louis du Sud in the big South of Haiti, he tremor was felt in the densely-populated capital of Port-au-Prince still recovering from the 2010 earthquake, some 125km away.
The prime minister Ariel Henry said there was “extensive damage” and declared a month-long state of emergency.
“Lots of homes are destroyed, people are dead and some are at the hospital,” Christella Saint Hilaire, who lives near the epicentre, told AFP news agency.
As of right now, there have been more than 724 dead and nearly 3,000 injured; 500 in the south, 100 in Grand’Anse, 122 in Nippes and 2 in the North-West,” according to a statement from the country’s civil protection services.
Immediate help responses have already been authorized to assist from many friendly countries including the Dominican Republic and especially the USA right after getting aware of the news. US President Joe Biden has said that “USAID would work to support” and “assess the damage and assist efforts to recover those who were injured and those who must now rebuild”.
