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Major 7.0 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Haiti
NOAA Cancels Earlier Tsunami Alert
View NOAA Tsunami Watch Map
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (CBS) ―
The largest earthquake ever recorded in the area shook Haiti on Tuesday, collapsing a hospital where people screamed for help. Other buildings also were damaged and scientists said they expected "substantial damage and casualties."
With communications disrupted there were no reports of deaths or injuries soon after the quake, as powerful aftershocks shook the country.
The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 and was centered about 10 miles (15 kilometers) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It had a depth of 5 miles (8 kilometers).
It was the largest quake recorded in the area, said USGS analyst Dale Grant, and the last major one since a magnitude-6.7 temblor in 1984.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has canceled the Tsunami watch for Haiti, Cuba, the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic. Haiti and the Dominican Republic share the island of Hispanola.
According to the NOAA, a tsunami measuring 12 cm crest-to-trough was recorded at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and a tsunami with less than a 1 cm crest-to-trough was recorded on a deep ocean gauge in the east-central Caribbean.
The NOAA concluded that there could have been destructive tsunami waves near the earthquake epicenter but there is no longer a tsunami threat to coastal areas further away.
An Associated Press videographer saw the wrecked hospital in nearby Petionville, and a U.S. government official reported seeing houses that had tumbled into a ravine.
Haiti's ambassador to the U.S., Raymond Joseph, said from his Washington office that he spoke to President Rene Preval's chief of staff, Fritz Longchamp, just after the quake hit. He said Longchamp told him that "buildings were crumbling right and left" near the national palace. He said he has not gotten through by phone to Haiti since.
Don Blakeman, an analyst at the USGS in Golden, Colorado, said such a strong quake carried the potential for widespread damage.
"I think we are going to see substantial damage and casualties," he said.
The quake was felt in the Dominican Republic and some panicked residents in the capital of Santo Domingo fled from their shaking homes.
In eastern Cuba, houses shook but no major damage was immediately reported.
"We felt it very strongly and I would say for a long time. We had time to evacuate," said Monsignor Dionisio Garcia, archbishop of Santiago.
In Haiti, the extent of the damage was unclear.
"Everybody is just totally, totally freaked out and shaken," said Henry Bahn, a visiting official with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "The sky is just gray with dust."
Bahn said he was walking to his hotel room when the ground began to shake.
"I just held on and bounced across the wall," he said. "I just hear a tremendous amount of noise and shouting and screaming in the distance."
Bahn said there were rocks strewn all over the place and he saw a ravine where several homes had been built. "It's just full of collapsed walls and rubble and barbed wire," he said.
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama says his thoughts and prayers -- and, possibly, U.S. aid -- go to the people of Haiti, where a strong earthquake hit the island nation.
Obama said Tuesday in a statement that the United States is watching the situation is ready to assist Haitians.
White House officials say Obama was told of the earthquake at 5:52 p.m and he asked aides to make sure U.S. personnel at the embassy in Port-au-Prince were safe. Officials also say Obama told them to start preparing in case humanitarian assistance is needed.
The State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development and U.S. Southern Command have started to coordinate.
(© 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 5:33 pm
