A major earthquake struck southwestern Haiti early Saturday, collapsing buildings and historical cathedrals in a nation still struggling to recover from a devastating quake that left more than 300,000 dead over a decade ago and was already in chaos after a presidential assassination last month.
At least 29 people had been confirmed dead, said Jerry Chandler, the head of Haiti’s Office of Civil Protection. Prime Minister Ariel Henry also declared a state of emergency for one month.
The United States Geological Survey placed the quake at magnitude at 7.2, as did the Puerto Rico Seismic Network, with the epicenter about 75 miles west of capitol of Port-au-Prince. If verified, it would make the seismic event stronger than the 7.0 quake one that left much of the capitol in ruins 2010. Tremors were felt all the way to Jamaica.
There were additional unconfirmed reports of deaths, injuries and panic in some cities along the Tiburon, the country’s southwestern peninsula. It’s less densely populated than the capitol but images posted on social media suggested there could be a many casualties. Some showed collapsed homes and the Catholic Cathedral turned to rubble in the city town of Les Anglais, which is part of Jeremie in the Grand Anse region.
Former Haiti Prime Minister Rosny Smarth, who lives in Cavaillon in the south said he was at home when he felt the ground rumbling.
“I ran out with my brother,” said Smarth, who retired to the region from Port-au-Prince last year. “A lot of homes in Cavaillon have been destroyed.”
Destruction was also reported in the coastal city of Les Cayes after the ground shook at 8:29 a.m. ET. Among the missing is at least one prominent political leader, former Senator Gabriel Fortune, who several Haitian blogs reported was buried underneath the rubble in Les Cayes.
“A lot of houses have been destroyed, a lot of people are injured and were taken to the hospital,” Valince Georges posted on Facebook with a photo of a destroyed two-story house.“A lot of aftershocks.”
The prime minister’s office said that the emergency response had been activated and they were assessing the damages. Some of the area, controlled by violent gangs, may be challenging to quickly survey.
International humanitarian organizations immediately responded with offers to help as did the Biden administration.
In a video widely shared on Haitian social media networks, an unidentified man said he was out exercising when he felt the ground rattle. In the video, dust clouds and rubble overtake the streets of the southwestern Haitian city.
“A huge earthquake has just hit Aux Cayes,” the man said in Creole comparing the destruction to Jan. 12, 2010. “For what I am seeing, it is the equivalent of the January 12.”
The catastrophic 2010 earthquake struck near Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. It killed over 300,000 people and destroyed the homes of 1.5 million people. It also left 1.5 million others injured. The quake collapsed over 100,000 structures in the Caribbean nation, which sit in an active seismic zone.
Since then, the nation has been battered by disasters and political upheavals.
Haiti has been in the throes of volatility and unpredictability since last month, when president Jovenel Moïse was assassinated. His July 7 murder inside his private residence remains unsolved even though police have arrested over 40 persons. On Friday, the judge put in charge of further investigating the assassination plot and bringing charges against those arrested withdrew, citing concerns for his safety and a lack of security.
Making matters more complicated is that the region struck by the devastation has been cut off by violent armed gang warfare at the southern entrance of Haiti’s capital, which leads to four regions that would most heavily be impacted by the disaster. The gang clashes have forced the displacement of over 16,000 Haitians from their homes in the poor neighborhood of Martissant since June 1.
To add to concerns, Haiti is in the cone for Tropical Storm Grace, which could be approaching by late Monday.
The massive earthquake at 8:29 a.m. was followed by a string of smaller aftershocks. The USGS has recorded multiple additional quakes: including a magnitude 5.2 quake some 12 miles from Cavaillon, a magnitude 4.1 quake about 5 miles from Petit Trou de Nippes, and a magnitude 4.4 quake about 2 miles from Aquin. All originated near the epicenter of the first, Saturday morning earthquake. Aftershocks are a common occurrence following big earthquakes.
The U.S, Tsunami Warning System also forecast “hazardous tsunami waves” in some Haitian coastline, with waves 3 to 9 feet higher than the average tide height possible. Videos show water flowing through Les Cayes, as people ran through the streets asking where it was coming from.
Haiti has two prominent fault zones. A continuation of the Septentrional fault runs through the north of Hispaniola, while the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone, runs through the south of the major Antille. The Saturday morning earthquake happened over the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone, where the magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck in 2010.
“It is an event that is possibly related to the event of more than ten years ago,” said Victor Huerfano, director of the Puerto Rico Seismic Network. “It’s the same fault.”
The Puerto Rico Seismic Network continues to study the event and monitor the region for aftershocks.
“The event was so strong, that still hours later, there are seismic signals arriving,” he said.
“There is a tremendous amount of worry for the safety of our team and their families and what this means for the country and the region,” said Skyler Badenoch, CEO of Hope for Haiti, a local charity that employs about 60 people and provides health services. “The first thing we are laser focused on is trying to contact everybody on the hone , to hear their voice and make sure they are OK. We know there is a lot of emotional stress when it comes to earthquakes.”
Badenoch, added, “This is one of the most untimely things that can happen when it comes to Haiti.”
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