Hundreds of people have lost their lives and thousands have been injured after a powerful earthquake struck Haiti.
Making the Caribbean nation’s rising difficulties even more concerning, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake rocked the country on August 14 at 8.29 am.
As of this writing, at least 304 casualties have been confirmed, whereas nearly two thousand people have been injured during the tragic event.
According to the reports, the quake resulted not only in hundreds of casualties but also severe damage to housing, infrastructure, and business establishments.
The quake reportedly hit the embattled nation at the depth of 10 km some 12 km Northeast of Saint-Louis du Sud.point 365 |
The shaking was felt not only in Haiti but also in several surrounding nations and regions including The Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the United States Minor Outlying Islands.point 198 | 1
“When it comes to medical needs, this is our biggest urgency. We have started to send medications and medical personnel to the facilities that are affected,” Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henry said during a Saturday press conference.
“For the people who need urgent special care, we have evacuated a certain number of them, and we will evacuate some more today and tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, the first lady of the country expressed her sorrow over the deadly incident as she called for people to come together and act as one to overcome the disaster.
“The initial information that I have received from Grand’Anse is heart-wrenching. It hurts my heart for the kids, the mothers, the elderlies, the handicaps, my friends, and all the victims of this earthquake,” Martine Moise said.
“My brothers and sisters, we have to put our shoulders together to come together to demonstrate our solidarity. It is our togetherness that makes up our strength and resilience. Courage, I will always be by your side.”
Following the powerful earthquake, several countries, including the US, have promised support to the struggling nation.
“We send our deepest condolences to all those who lost a loved one or saw their homes and businesses destroyed,” President Biden said in a statement.
“I have authorized an immediate US response and named USAID Administrator Samantha Power as the senior US official to coordinate this effort.”
Our thoughts are with the people of Haiti during these challenging times.