Kreyol Network» Earthquake

Why Chile’s Stronger Earthquake Won’t Be as Deadly as Haiti’s

Nick J — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 00:32:03 +0000

Yes, the quake that struck the coast of Chile this morning was about 100 times stronger than the quake that devastated Port-au-Prince in early January. But initial reports put the death toll in the very low three digits—120 as I’m writing this. And while that number is certain to climb in the hours and days ahead, no one is expecting the calamitous destruction and loss of life that we’ve seen in Haiti, where 230,000 are already dead. How can that be?

A few reasons. First and most obvious, the construction in Chile is far better than construction in Haiti. A popular saying among seismologists is that “earthquakes don’t kill people, buildings do.” Chile’s buildings are better built, with better materials, higher-skilled laborers, and an eye toward earthquake resistance. They are therefore more earthquake-resistant. Many fewer of them collapsed, so fewer people died.

6.2 earthquake off Papua New Guinea

recklaz — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 07:26:28 +0000

A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.2 was registered today off the coast of Papua New Guinea, without causing damage and not cause a tsunami, seismologists have said.

The American Institute of Geophysics (USGS) located the earthquake occurred at 08:28 AM (22H28 GMT Monday), 125 km west of Arawa, the capital of the island of Bougainville, at a depth of 33 km.

“It was a moderate quake, no damage, no tsunami,” said Lawrence Anton, seismologist at the Geological Institute of Papua New Guinea.

Papua New Guinea, located on the “Ring of Fire” Pacific junction of several tectonic plates, is regularly the scene of an earthquake

So far 170,000 dead in the Haiti Earthquake

recklaz — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:08:00 +0000

Haitian President René Préval announced today that the bodies of “nearly 170,000″ victims of the earthquake of January 12 have already been collected, a figure higher than the latest estimates of the authorities advanced the figure of 150,000 dead.

Ambassador to Haiti invited by Obama to the State of the Union

recklaz — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:48:40 +0000

The Ambassador of Haiti to the United States has been invited by the White House to attend his State of the Union Barack Obama Wednesday night in Congress, it was learned from the presidency two weeks after earthquake that ravaged the Caribbean country.

Haiti’s ambassador to Washington since 2004, was invited by First Lady Michelle Obama to join him in his box of Congress to attend the speech by her husband before the elected and the nation, highlight the political year U.S., according to the White House.

Among the guests of Mrs. Obama also included, in addition to Jill Biden, wife of Vice-President Joe Biden, students and entrepreneurs, a veteran wounded in Iraq in combat and a police official military base of Fort Hood ( Texas, south), scene of a fatal shooting in November.

Mrs. Obama has also invited the wife of a firefighter Virginia (is) deployed to Haiti as part of U.S. aid following the earthquake that struck near the capital Port-au-Prince January 12, killing some 150,000 lives, according to an estimate by the Minister of Health of the country.

Hope fades for missing Americans in Hotel Montana

Nick J — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 05:26:58 +0000

It has been more than 2 weeks since a major 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti’s core, the city of Port-au-Prince, and destroyed hotels, businesses, and slums. Now, day 15 has arrived and the Hotel Montana in Petion Ville hold the lives or whereabouts of at least 60 foreigners including 17 American Citizens. As hope fades for finding anyone alive, the U.S Marines and other search groups continue to dig through the dangerous rubble made of concrete blocks and slabs. They refuse to call it a search and rescue effort or a recovery. Probably because they know that in recovery, bulldozers roam the land and minimize any chances of locating the bodies of the missing Americans to be brought back to the United States for a formal burial.

Another Powerful 6.1 Earthquake Aftershock Hits Haiti

Nick J — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:49:18 +0000

Another earthquake has rocked the devastated island of Haiti. Port-au-Prince has been hit by a strong earthquake measuring 6.1 on the moment magnitude scale, eight days after the Haitian capital was razed by a 7.0 tremor. ABC News Australia

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit at 6:03 a.m. about 35 miles west of the capital, near the town of Petit Goave. It struck at a depth of 13.7 miles but was located too far inland to generate any tidal waves in the Caribbean. – MiamiHerald