Worst Earthquake in 200 Years Strikes Haiti: Over $200 Million Sent in Relief Efforts
.
January 20, 2010
Filed under News
The worst earthquake in 200 years, with a magnitude of 7.0, struck Port-au-Prince, Haiti the afternoon of January 12th. Twelve aftershocks, in magnitudes higher than 5.0, followed the initial blow. All types of structures on the Caribbean city collapsed or received extensive damage, including national landmarks.
“It is still very early in the recovery effort, but millions are likely displaced, and thousands are feared dead as rescue teams from all over the world are now descending on Haiti to help where they are able,” the Boston Globe reported.
After a week, the damage is becoming more apparent. Rescue teams all over the world have arrived, medical aid is being given, and bodies are being identified. Overall, $200 million have been donated to the country.
United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, has met with Haitian President Rene Preval, and has assured close coordination with the country, and discussed the needs and priorities of the Haitian peoples as well as how to meet them.
The United States has pledged $100 million for relief efforts. The USS Comfort, a converted battleship used as a mobile hospital, is proving its effectiveness to the Haitian relief efforts.
“This is the right way to use this ship,” said Cmdr. Tim Donahue, a urological surgeon from Bethesda and director of surgery for the mission to Haiti. “It doesn’t make sense for us to go down there with only four operating rooms when we have twelve that we can use. If we’re down there, we need to maximize the capability of the ship. And we are.”
Written by: Dana Edwards
Loading ...
Comments
Feel free to leave a comment...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!
You must be logged in to post a comment.