Tag: Haiti

(CNN)Around 1.2 million people, including 540,000 children, have been impacted by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake which struck southwestern Haiti on Saturday morning, according to UNICEF.

The quake left at least 1,941 people dead and more than 6,900 injured; that toll is expected to rise in the coming days, but search and rescue efforts are being hampered by a lack of resources and by heavy rains, which have caused mudslides that blocked roads in the region.

Tropical Storm Grace, which hit the same region late Monday “is further disrupting access to water, shelter, and other basic services,” UNICEF said in a statement Tuesday. “Flooding and mudslides are likely to worsen the situation of vulnerable families and further complicate the humanitarian response.”

On Tuesday, donor countries and humanitarian organizations increased efforts to help the country. The Pentagon announced it had formed a joint task force to assist USAID in disaster relief efforts, while the United Nation and the European Union allocated $8 million and $3.5 million respectively in aid to Haiti.

Source: Haiti earthquake has affected 1.2 million people, says UNICEF – CNN

Over 300 people are dead in Haiti after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit the country on Saturday.

Haiti’s Office of Civil Protection said search and rescue teams will be sent out, with at least 304 people confirmed dead from the earthquake, NBC News reported.

“The most important thing is to recover as many survivors as possible under the rubble,” Prime Minister Ariel Henry said.

“We have learned that the local hospitals, in particular that of Les Cayes, are overwhelmed with wounded, fractured people,” Henry added.

The prime minister has set a one-month state of emergency, as many buildings collapsed from the large earthquake.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken briefed President Joe Biden and Vice President Harris on the earthquake before Biden authorized assistance to Haiti.

The earthquake comes 11 years after Haiti was devastated by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, which the country has still not fully recovered from.

A powerful local politician in Haiti is among the dead after his hotel collapsed during the earthquake.

• Biden ‘saddened’ by earthquake in Haiti
• Major earthquake strikes near Haiti, high casualties feared

Source: At least 304 dead after earthquake in Haiti | TheHill

(CNN)At least 227 people have died after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti Saturday morning, according to the country’s civil protection service.

The US Geological Survey previously said it was likely that casualties would be “high,” saying the “disaster is likely widespread.”

One hospital in the southern city of Jeremie said it is overwhelmed with patients.

“There are a lot of people coming in — a lot of people,” an administrator at the Hospital Saint Antoine told CNN. “We don’t have enough supplies.”

The hospital has set up tents in its courtyard, the administrator said.

The earthquake was about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) northeast of Saint-Louis-du-Sud and 10 kilometers deep, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

“There are reports of significant damage to homes, roads, and infrastructure,” American Red Cross spokeswoman Katie Wilkes said.

Source: More than 200 people dead after 7.2-magnitude earthquake strikes Haiti – CNN