Haiti earthquake: death toll over 300; More than 1,500 homes were destroyed or damaged

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Les Cayes, Haiti (AP) – A 7.2 magnitude earthquake has increased misery in Haiti, killing at least 304 people, injuring at least 1,800 others and destroying hundreds of homes. People on the Caribbean island rushed to the streets in search of safety and to help rescue those trapped under the rubble of collapsed homes, hotels and other buildings.

Saturday’s earthquake hit the southwestern part of the poorest country in the hemisphere, nearly destroying some towns and causing landslides that hampered rescue efforts in two of the hardest-hit communities. The disaster added to the plight of Haitians already suffering from the coronavirus pandemic, a presidential assassination and a wave of gang violence.

The US Geological Survey said the quake’s epicenter was 125 km west of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Extensive damage could worsen by early next week, with Tropical Storm Grace expected to arrive in Haiti late Monday or early Tuesday.

The aftershocks were felt all day and all night, when many people had been rendered homeless or frightened that their homes might collapse on them, they lay in the streets to sleep – their nerves permitting.

In the hard-hit coastal town of Les Cayes, some praised God for surviving the quake, and many on Sundays went to the city’s cathedral, which ostensibly appeared intact even if the priest’s house was destroyed.

“We only have Jesus now,” said Johan Dorseli, 58, whose home was destroyed. “If it weren’t for Jesus, I wouldn’t be able to be here today.”

Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he was rushing aid to areas where towns had been devastated and hospitals overwhelmed with patients. The former senator chartered a private plane to transport the wounded from Les Caye to Port-au-Prince for medical assistance.

Henry declared a month-long state of emergency for the entire country and said he would not seek international assistance until the extent of the damage was known.

“The most important thing is to get as many survivors back as possible under the rubble,” Henry said. “We have learned that local hospitals, particularly Les Cayes Hospital, are overcrowded with the wounded and the broken.”

Jerry Chandler, director of Haiti’s civil protection office, told reporters that the death toll had reached 304 on Saturday evening. Rescue workers and passersby were able to pull several people from under the rubble to a safe place.

Chandler said a partial structural damage survey found at least 860 homes destroyed and more than 700 damaged. Hospitals, schools, offices and churches were also damaged.

On the small island of Ile-a-Vache, about 6.5 miles (10.5 km) from Les Cayes, the earthquake damaged a seaside resort famous for Haitian officials, business leaders, diplomats and humanitarian workers. Fernand Sagos, owner of the Abaca Bay Resort, said in a phone call that nine of the hotel’s 30 rooms collapsed, but he said they were vacant at the time and no one was hurt.

“They’re gone – just like that,” said Sagos.

The people in Les Cayes tried to dig guests out from under the ruins of a collapsed hotel, but as the sun set, they could only retrieve the body of a 7-year-old girl whose home was behind the facility.

“I have eight children, and I was looking for the last one,” said Jean-Claude Daniel, crying. “I will never see her alive again. The earthquake destroyed my life. It took a child away from me.”

The reports of overcrowded hospitals come as Haiti grapples with the pandemic and lacks resources to deal with it. The country of 11 million people received the first batch of coronavirus vaccines that the United States donated last month only through the United Nations Program for Low Income Countries.

The earthquake also struck just over a month after President Jovenel Moise was shot dead in his home, sending the country into political chaos. His widow, Martine Moyes, who was seriously injured in the attack, posted a message on Twitter calling for unity among Haitians: “Let’s come together to achieve solidarity.”

Boarding a plane to Les Cayes, Henry said he wanted “organized solidarity” to ensure a coordinated response to avoid the confusion that followed the devastating 2010 earthquake, when aid was slow to reach residents after up to 300,000 Haitians were killed.

US President Joe Biden authorized an immediate response and appointed USAID Administrator Samantha Power to oversee US efforts to help Haiti. Biden, who described the United States as a “close and enduring friend of the people of Haiti,” said USAID would help assess the damage and help rebuild.

Argentina and Chile were among the first countries to promise assistance.

North Carolina-based Samaritan’s Purse announced Sunday that it will air 13 disaster response specialists and 31 tons of emergency supplies to Haiti. These items include shelter and water purification units.

Aid workers said gang activity in the coastal region of Martissant, west of the Haitian capital, has complicated relief efforts.

“No one can travel through the region,” Ndiaga Sik, a UNICEF spokesperson in Port-au-Prince, said by phone. “We can just fly or take another route.”

Sick said information on deaths and damages has been slow to come to Port-au-Prince due to spotty internet, but UNICEF plans to send medical supplies to two hospitals in the south, in Les Cayes and Jeremy.

The earthquake was felt in Port-au-Prince and many rushed into the streets in fear, although there seemed to be no damage there.

Haiti, where many live in fragile conditions, is prone to earthquakes and hurricanes. A 5.9-magnitude earthquake in 2018 killed more than a dozen people.

By early Sunday, the island had seen six aftershocks stronger than magnitude 5.0 and over 4.0.

Claude Pribet, a Haitian civil engineer and geologist, warned of the danger of cracked structures.

He said, “more or less aftershocks are expected for a month,” warning that some buildings “which were severely damaged during the earthquake, could collapse during the aftershocks.”

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By Regina Garcia Cano and Evans Sanon. Tammy Webber, Josh Bock and Daniel Trenton contributed.

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