The Caribbean blogosphere is busy tonight, discussing very sad news – an earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter Scale struck off the coast of Haiti, causing major damage and loss of life in the already besieged island nation.
Twitter emerged as the fastest, most time sensitive vehicle through which to report on the catastrophe; Facebook was also full of wall comments on the disaster, from both French and English-speaking Caribbean netizens. One user in Trinidad and Tobago was already collecting “foodstuff, blankets & clothing for Haiti”, asking donors to “label all bags”. Others, like Jamaica-based Annie Paul, quoted lyrics from calypsonian David Rudder‘s ode to the island: “Haiti, I'm sorry…but one day we'll turn our heads, restore your glory”, following up with links to video of the earthquake, which she found posted on YouTube:
Regional bloggers soon followed with more detailed posts, the most compelling of course, coming from within the island. The Haitian Blogger did a good job of posting regular updates with critical information:
General Hospital in Port-au-Prince is down, Palace is damaged.
No one knows how many dead or injured. The aftershock is reverberating. People can only see dust,
Obama is sending in military troops.
Phone lines that are working are: Haiti-tel and Voila.
All windows are shattered in houses in la plaine
Houses are falling down everywhere.
All the poor on the mountains, whose houses were build on the mountains, all tumbled down, one on top another…
A terrible situation! Devastating. There's NEVER been an earthquake of this magnitude in Haiti. Major aftershocks happening…
The quake was quickly followed by two nearby, strong aftershocks of initial magnitude of 5.9 and 5.5, the aftershocks were major earthquakes in and [of] themselves.
This is catastrophic. Changes everything.
The Livesay [Haiti] Weblog reported that “[an] earthquake hit Haiti at about 5pm…aftershocks are happening every five minutes or so.” In a follow-up post, the family was concerned that “people are very very upset and running in the streets” and was praying for a “cool head for all.” Pwoje Espwa – Hope in Haiti, meanwhile, entered a series of three posts, expressing surprise at the magnitude of the ‘quake and later confirming that “the news from Port-au-Prince is very bad.” Once the aftershocks were over, the blogger added:
Wow. Just finished with two more tremors that felt much like the first one right after the earthquake. Don't think the folks down here will sleep well tonight.
Many Haitian bloggers, like Real Hope for Haiti, simply tried to get word out that they were fine – this Ushahidi site provides valuable information about the on-the-ground situation, from roadway access to available power.
The Caribbean's heart, though, was breaking. Trinidadian diaspora blogger Afrobella:
Right now my heart aches for Haiti. The already-suffering island nation was just hit with a 7.0 earthquake. A hospital has collapsed. Government buildings have been severely damaged. There was a major tsunami watch, earlier. Reports of major devastation are just starting to pour in…my thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Haiti, and anyone with friends or family in Haiti…
Repeating Islands was quick to report that “Haitian musician Wyclef Jean began to mobilize support for the victims through his Twitter account”, and Bermudian blogger Catch-a-fire added:
It is becoming clear that the damage has been catastrophic. Slum areas have also been badly hit by landslides. Haiti has a lot of problems as it is and this disaster risks the country sliding into an even worse state. I’ll be seeing what I can do tomorrow. In Bermuda, although we have our own problems to deal with, we should still be able to offer help to our Haitian cousins, and I expect the unions and charities to start organising whatever help they can.
Finally, Trinidad and Tobago's The Liming House gave the local media a failing grade when it comes to Haiti:
Dear Trinidadian media: the Haitian earthquake is the biggest and most important Caribbean story, bar none, of the moment and the year to date.
What, exactly, is your excuse for your utter inability to update your sites to reflect this state of affairs, per the following screenshots (taken at approximately 8.55pm Trinidad time)
And in another post, which clearly demonstrates his compassion for the earthquake victims, he wrote:
Too often, relatively inconsequential events are referred to as ‘a tragedy’ or ‘tragic’.
But what is happening in Haiti – dozens dead, many more injured and dying in the aftermath of a 7.3 earthquake that also damaged and possibly destroyed the country’s National Palace – is a tragedy.
Readers, Haiti needs your help. In the coming days, weeks and months the island’s people will need food, water, shelter, medical care as they attempt to rebuild – for the umpteenth time – their shattered lives and nation.
There will undoubtedly be campaigns by the Red Cross, AmeriCares and other such organisations. Please give.
Give, and give generously, because the Haitian populace needs your support more than the myriad fete promoters and purveyors of glorified bikinis do; more than the enforcers of racism and classism along Ariapita Avenue.
Give.
Global Voices’ Special Coverage Page on the earthquake in Haiti is here.
34 comments
New high resolution pictures on the destruction from the 2010 Haiti Earthquake have been posted from on the ground in Port-Au-Prince and Jacmel
http://www.jlaforums.com/album.php?search=haiti&search_cond=Pic%20Description&sort_order=&start=0
http://www.jlaforums.com/album.php?search=haiti&search_cond=Pic%20Title&sort_order=&start=0
Its called population control
I have created a website dedicated to the news of the earthquake in haiti. Please take a look and let me know if you are interested in publishing content. Haiti Earthquake Donations
Toussaint L’ ouverture Still Here
in Haiti after the Quake
Toussaint L’ ouverture still lives
in the heart of Port-au-Prince,
where the thousands of dead now lie covered
with plastic sheets or bloodied bags.
The Black Liberator is here
all across this beautiful island,
at Petionville, the National penitentiary, amng shattered houses
on Delmas road, near the Karibe hotel where tourists
and Haitian workers perished regardless
of class, all of them destroyed in an outpost
where the corssroads of commerce and insurrection meet…
Toussaint L’ ouverture with his slave fighters
at Hotel Villa Creole, where doctors treated
the first wounded at the opened gates,
Toussaint L’ ouverture has not abandoned Haiti
even as the gentle hillsides are scraped
bare of its shanty houses, even as they tumble
down into the dark ravines,
Toussaint L’ ouverture is among the Haitians,
A great torch of Liberation
among the catastrophe–
schools collapsed with orphaned children,
hospitals gone, the infirmed tossed among the broken
telephone lines and x-ray machines, the National Palace now
a mass of white, concrete debris…
Toussant L’ ouverture with his revolutionary troops
march like silent ghosts
among the greatness and poverty that is Haiti.
There is no calm among the enclave in the hills
above Port-au-Prince,
where peacekeepers lie dead near Christopher Hotel.
There ane everywhere you can see
Toussaint L’ ouverture, his proud black face
etched with grief.
Luis Lazaro Tijerina
Burlington, Vermont, 2010
ron mccrea
you men lie thru ur teeth you can see when you are watching tv monitiring haiti the men a boyz in haiti just standing around mr. president obama , joe biden i ask you and remind you these people need to work usa need to heal and you all know is what to come war is at hand again or maybe you young guys that only fought with your pencil cant see that far , but haiti heals in the heart and in love of missing the love ones and hard work is needed for them to become men and not of babies you want to handle them like babies for what ,may god be with you haiti please i ask place your construction crew to work and the big hand will help place your weapons to the side and pick up your tools so you may work from the materials you did get my heart goes with you ,,, ratings on these for the president rating 2
rm