Haiti Quake

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti Tuesday, January 12, 2010, was the strongest quake to hit the area since 1770 (USGS). The epicenter was located 15 miles WSW of Port-au-Prince in Leogone at a depth of 13 km (8.1 miles) recorded at 21:53 UTC (1:53:10 PST). Considered the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere before the quake, Haiti suffered 316,000 deaths and 300,000 injuries after the quake with 1.3 million being displaced. Relief from around the world poured into Port-au-Prince, but soon became a political and distribution quagmire as governments and NGOs failed to find common ground in a mutual effort. Today, despite a now contained cholera outbreak that killed 580 people and hospitalized over 9,000, Haiti continues to struggle for a social and political foothold. --SS