724 died after the Haiti earthquake – VG

Agence France-Presse reported Sunday afternoon.

In addition, at least 2,800 were injured when the powerful earthquake hit the southwestern part of the country on Saturday morning. There are fears that many may have died.

The earthquake had one 7.2, according to the USGS Seismological Center. The epicenter was reported 15 miles (15 miles) west of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Less than a million people live in the capital.

Rescue work in the rubble is a battle against the clock as Tropical Storm Grace is expected to hit the country on Monday with strong winds and rain.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry on Saturday afternoon declared a month-long state of emergency in the country, describing the devastation as “enormous.”

Great damage

Photos from the country made a strong impression on Ingvill Konradsen. She is the founder and director of the aid organization Project Haiti, which manages education in the country.

One of the schools they run is located in the town of St Louis du Sud, 12 kilometers from the epicenter.

Our staff sends photos of serious injuries, says Konradsen.

The Norwegian Relief Organization school was not damaged by the earthquake.

– But the neighboring school, which is only 30 meters away, was badly damaged, says Konradsen, who sent a video to show this school building:

According to reports received by Conradsen, there are also deaths in Saint-Louis-de-Sud.

Church collapse during a funeral. Not everyone got out alive, she says.

VG watched a video of the collapsed church where there are lifeless people outside.

This is not the first time that Haiti has been hit by strong earthquakes. In 2010, more than 200,000 people died after its Force 7 shrapnel.

– I’m really tired. It is endless with problems.

However, Konradsen believes that today’s earthquake is unlikely to result in as many deaths as it did in 2010.

– The south of the island, where today’s earthquake occurred, is fortunately not densely populated, she says.

However, she believes the damage will be significant.

– He comes on top of a very difficult situation already. There is a lot of poverty, a lot of crime and political instability after that The president was shot dead A month ago, Konradsen says.

The quake was also felt in the capital, Port-au-Prince. This is what the country director for Haiti for Norwegian Church Aid, Raymond Prosbury, told VG.

– She shook a lot for a few seconds, but she was completely calm. My wife and daughters and I felt it, Prospery tells VG.

It also suffered an earthquake in 2010.

– I thought “Oy, now it’s happening again.” In 2010 there was a lot of noise, but now it is not. He says Haiti is a little better equipped for earthquakes now, but not to a much greater degree than it was in 2010.

Weak build stock

Morten Tounsen-Crokan is a Senior Adviser to the Red Cross, and was involved in the international disaster team for Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.

We don’t know how hard Port-au-Prince was hit. He adds that if the city is severely damaged, there could be severe damage and high death rates.

In a conference call with the International Committee of the Red Cross, Tonissen Crokan was told that the hospitals of Jeremy and Le Quais were badly damaged and that they were overcrowded.

– In Li Kai, injuries are so great that they do not accept patients. Landslides closed roads and bridges collapsed. Communication lines are down in affected areas, Tonesen Crokan says.

Storm Grace Hisponala is expected to hit the island that Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic on Tuesday. According to Tonesen Crokan, this could further deteriorate the situation.

Tønnessen-Krokan notes that Haiti’s infrastructure makes the country more vulnerable to earthquakes.

It is first and foremost about building the block. Buildings are less equipped to withstand earthquakes compared to Japan and San Francisco. He says it collapses faster.

The 2010 earthquake struck around 3:00 p.m. This time the earthquake occurred at 08.29 local time. Tønnessen-Krokan hopes it may have helped reduce the extent of human harm.

– Since this was after sunrise, one might hope that a number of people would have taken to the streets, says Tonsen Crokan.

Minor injuries

Morten Tonesen-Crokan also notes that Haiti is ill-equipped to deal with the effects of the earthquake.

There is a lot that is not working in Haiti. They do not have an effective health system. When people need trauma treatment and health care after an earthquake, they are unable to provide a satisfactory presentation, he says.

Moreover, the country has been hit hard by the pandemic, which has already taken away significant healthcare resources in the country, in addition to the fact that the economy has also been hit hard.

According to Crocan, the political situation that characterizes the country will also influence how Haiti deals with post-earthquake damage.

– The president was killed on July 7 and parts of the country are ruled by criminal gangs. Of course, it’s not just misery, it’s a country that faces huge challenges. And then it’s hard to recover from something like this, says Tonsen Crokan.

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According to the United Nations, 4.4 million people in Haiti are in need of humanitarian aid. For a small country of 11 million people, it makes up as much as 40 percent of the population.

The number of people suffering from acute food shortages increased from 2.6 million in 2019 to 3.1 million in 2020.

At least that number didn’t go down in 2021, says Tonesen Crokan.