Earthquake in Haiti

Authorities in Haiti had confirmed at least 1,941 deaths as of Tuesday after a major earthquake struck southwestern Haiti on Saturday, August 14. The quake reduced churches, hotels, schools and homes to rubble in the latest tragedy to hit the impoverished Caribbean nation.

The 7.2-magnitude quake struck 8 km (5 miles) from the town of Petit Trou de Nippes, about 150 km west of the capital Port-au-Prince, at a depth of 10 km, the United States Geological Survey said. It was followed by a series of aftershocks.

The shallow quake - felt as far away as Cuba and Jamaica - and its aftershocks were potentially more severe than the magnitude-7 earthquake that killed tens of thousands on the island in 2010.

The areas in and around the city of Les Cayes - some 150 km (93 miles) west of the Caribbean country’s capital Port-au-Prince - suffered the biggest hit, putting enormous strain on local hospitals, some of which were badly damaged.

Collapsed cement buildings lined the main street of the seafront city of 100,000 people. The city’s general hospital was overwhelmed, with doctors and nurses attending patients in tents set up in a crowded parking lot because there was no more room inside.

Tropical Storm Grace

While rescue teams toiled to dig out survivors of the quake, a storm dumped heavy rain on the southern coast of Haiti, bringing flooding near the worst-hit areas and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis, local residents said.

“Countless Haitian families who have lost everything due to the earthquake are now living literally with their feet in the water due to the flooding,” said Bruno Maes, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) representative in Haiti.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) said it had resumed rescue and relief operations on Tuesday morning after suspending them during the storm and was working with international partners to scale up assistance.