MESSAGE: 7.0 HAITI EARTHQUAKE UPDATE #1 (As at 1:00pm, January 13, 2010)
THE EVENT:
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake located 18.451=B0N, 72.445=B0W struck the island of Haiti on Tuesday January 12th, 2010 at about 5:53 PM Atlantic Standard Time (AST). According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake struck 15 km (10 miles) South West of Port-au-Prince at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).
PROGNOSIS:
Several aftershocks were experienced since the main event and the possibility of additional aftershocks exists.
THE SITUATION:
Haiti:
Preliminary information indicates that there has been major damage to buildings and infrastructure in Haiti including hospitals, government agencies and international organizations. Utilities including water, electricity and telephone services have been disrupted and communication remains a challenge.
Jamaica:
The quake was reportedly felt along the Eastern corridor, particularly the North East and South East coasts. Assessments are being conducted to determine if there has been any structural damage to buildings and infrastructure.
REGIONAL REPONSE:
CARICOM's frontline response has commenced with assistance out of Jamaica, the sub regional focal point.
A Jamaica Defence Force vessel with technical, medical and military personnel and relief supplies is being deployed to Haiti today.
A high level team from Jamaica is scheduled to be deployed to Haiti on Thursday, including the Director General of ODPEM, Ronald Jackson and other government representatives to provide an initial overview of the situation on the ground.
A team comprising representatives of CDEMA, other regional partners, and donors is in preparation for deployment to Haiti by Friday, January 15, 2010 to assess the situation and inform the nature and scope of the region's assistance.
Regionally, several Participating States have offered support in the form of military assistance, search and rescue teams, medical personnel, artisans and aircrafts. CDEMA is therefore in the process of collating and processing pledged assistance.
The Sub Regional Focal Point for Haiti is Jamaica who is being engaged to coordinate the response efforts on behalf of the affected member of the sub-region.
CONTACT DETAILS: The CDEMA CU 24-hour contact number is 1(246) 425 0386