# 7.0 earthquake in Haiti **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 13, 2010, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-0-earthquake-in-haiti/524744 "2010-01-13T02:41:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-0-earthquake-in-haiti/524744/1 "2010-01-13T02:41:12Z")
This looks like a big one. The list of buildings destroyed include the presidential palace, parliament building, the Finance Ministry, The Public Works Ministry, the Palace of Justice and Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Port-au-Prince, the national cathedral, Haiti TV reported. An unknown number are dead but if those major buildings collapsed, I can only assume thousands of minors ones did too. Earthquakes are my greatest nightmare, so this story horrifies and fascinates me. ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-0-earthquake-in-haiti/524744/2 "2010-01-13T02:45:17Z")
As though Haiti didn’t have enough problems already… Terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-0-earthquake-in-haiti/524744/3 "2010-01-13T02:52:52Z")
Earthquakes are evil freaking things. In rich countries, they just aren’t that big a deal, with very few exceptions. People in earthquake zones enact earthquake codes, and even fairly large quakes don’t do all that much damage. Even when there are injuries, there are well-trained emergency services, clean water for the victims, roads that let first responders get in quickly, and a government that people can trust to get the job done. In poor countries? Haiti had very little clean drinking water, crap roads, emergency services I don’t want to think about, shaky electrical grid, and buildings held up on spit and good thoughts - that was yesterday. Today - This is the kind of thing that damages entire communities, permanently. Lovely. ---
**Author:** ![Hilary\_Algar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilary_algar/32/4282_2.png) [@Hilary\_Algar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilary_Algar)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-0-earthquake-in-haiti/524744/4 "2010-01-13T03:20:31Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Earthquakes are evil freaking things. In rich countries, they just aren’t that big a deal, with very few exceptions. People in earthquake zones enact earthquake codes, and even fairly large quakes don’t do all that much damage. Even when there are injuries, there are well-trained emergency services, clean water for the victims, roads that let first responders get in quickly, and a government that people can trust to get the job done. > > In poor countries? Haiti had very little clean drinking water, crap roads, emergency services I don’t want to think about, shaky electrical grid, and buildings held up on spit and good thoughts - that was yesterday. Today - > > This is the kind of thing that damages entire communities, permanently. Lovely. seems so unfair ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-0-earthquake-in-haiti/524744/5 "2010-01-13T03:21:43Z")
Yes, I’ve read about it a bit already. Sounds very, very serious. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-0-earthquake-in-haiti/524744/6 "2010-01-13T03:25:25Z")
They are now reporting major damage to the United Nations headquarters in Haiti. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-0-earthquake-in-haiti/524744/7 "2010-01-13T03:26:11Z")
This is like adding insult to injury, to have something so catastrophic in a country so impoverished to start with. Horrible. I’ve made a small donation to the Red Cross. I wish I could do more. It’s looking like the airport is closed, though, so I don’t even know how they’re going to get supplies into the country. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-0-earthquake-in-haiti/524744/8 "2010-01-13T03:37:36Z")
I didn’t even realize Haiti was on a fault line. I guess I don’t think of the Carri bean as a major quake area. What seismic fault is there? ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-0-earthquake-in-haiti/524744/9 "2010-01-13T03:42:41Z")
I don’t know the names of the fault lines, but there is a Caribbean Plate. [Here’s an article.](http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/viewArticle.do?id=3964) One thing I do know is that the original capital of Jamaica was Port Royal, but when it was destroyed in an earthquake, the capital was shifted to Kingston, across the bay. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-0-earthquake-in-haiti/524744/10 "2010-01-13T03:59:08Z")
It was on the Enriquillo-Plaintain Garden fault zone. There’s a diagram in this CNN article > **[Experts warned of Haiti earthquake risk - CNN.com](http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/science/01/12/caribbean.earthquakes/index.html)** > > Scientists have warned for years that the island of Hispaniola, which Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic, was at risk for a major earthquake. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-0-earthquake-in-haiti/524744/11 "2010-01-13T04:14:21Z")
> [@Sarabellum1976](#): > > As though Haiti didn’t have enough problems already… That’s the first thing I thought too. I know some Haitians slightly in Toronto–good people. And our GG is of Haitian descent. ---
**Author:** ![Sticks\_and\_Scones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sticks_and_scones/32/16951_2.png) [@Sticks\_and\_Scones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sticks_and_Scones)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-0-earthquake-in-haiti/524744/12 "2010-01-13T04:19:18Z")
My assistant’s husband just got there yesterday on a missionary trip. Since communications are so poor right now, we know nothing of his condition. My assistant is trying to carry on as normally as possible for the sake of their 3 children. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-0-earthquake-in-haiti/524744/13 "2010-01-13T04:20:11Z")
Reuters released a picture of the Presidential Palace. It’s a 2-3 story building (the domes rise another story above the main structure) or it was - it has pancaked into one story or less. Quite horrifying. Presumably the government buildings were some of the better constructed ones. It wouldn’t surprise me if tomorrow morning we have images of entire neighborhoods flattened. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-0-earthquake-in-haiti/524744/14 "2010-01-13T11:19:59Z")
90 minutes after the quake a plane left haiti for miami, the interviews from the people who were on the plane are chilling. the hospital is one of the buildings that collasped. they are reporting that the airport has heavy damage. the only small bright spot is that haiti is close to the u.s. and disaster teams were in the air within a few hours (fairfax va) and boats and ships will be able to get there quickly as well. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-0-earthquake-in-haiti/524744/15 "2010-01-13T11:40:55Z")
Wait, how did the Dominican Republic fair? I hate to be crass, but they share the same island and I have a hell of a lot more sympathy for them. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-0-earthquake-in-haiti/524744/16 "2010-01-13T12:15:35Z")
Is Haiti’s President alive? Is there a government there? ---
**Author:** ![Sticks\_and\_Scones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sticks_and_scones/32/16951_2.png) [@Sticks\_and\_Scones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sticks_and_Scones)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-0-earthquake-in-haiti/524744/17 "2010-01-13T12:21:35Z")
> [@Always Brings Pie](#): > > My assistant’s husband just got there yesterday on a missionary trip. Since communications are so poor right now, we know nothing of his condition. My assistant is trying to carry on as normally as possible for the sake of their 3 children. ☹ He and his church group have been found and they are all ok!🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-0-earthquake-in-haiti/524744/18 "2010-01-13T12:21:46Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > Wait, how did the Dominican Republic fair? I hate to be crass, but they share the same island and I have a hell of a lot more sympathy for them. If you hate to be crass, why do it? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-0-earthquake-in-haiti/524744/19 "2010-01-13T12:43:30Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > If you hate to be crass, why do it? :rolleyes: Because I’ve lost all sympathy for the country. You ever seen a satellite picture of Hispaniola? There is an obvious dividing line between the Dominican Republic and Haiti. In the East it’s green, but cross the border and it’s all mud. It’s not a fauna phenomenon, it’s the stupid Haitians. There is simply no good reason why they are so bad off, and because of that my sympathy has run out. The epicenter was just outside of Port au Prince, which is baaaad, but would the destruction be the same if it was in Santo Domingo? I highly doubt it. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-0-earthquake-in-haiti/524744/20 "2010-01-13T13:04:54Z")
The BBC has a heart-rending [picture](http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/47098000/jpg/_47098110_56892872-1.jpg) of a Haitian child caught up in the rubble, covered in dust. It seems to be always the most undeserving who get hit the hardest by tragedies like this. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/7-0-earthquake-in-haiti/524744.md?page=2)