- Over 7,000 homes were destroyed in the quake. and another 5,000 were damaged.
- Some areas could see up to 15 inches of rain.
- The quake was most destructive in the southern part of the nation.
Thousands of Haitians were scrambling to find shelter Monday as a tropical depression bore down on the tiny island-sharing nation devastated by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake.
The death toll from Saturday’s temblor stood at almost 1,300; thousands more people injured. Over 7,000 homes were destroyed and another 5,000 were damaged. Hospitals, schools, offices and churches were also left shattered by the temblor.
Social media buzzed with urgent requests for help.
“We need to get the people affected by the earthquake tents ASAP,” tweeted political activist Kinsley Jean. “A tropical storm is coming and most of them are sleeping outside.”
Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency said it was receiving humanitarian aid and was bringing relief to the southern end of nation where the quake was most destructive.
“We continue to conduct assessments, collect and obtain technical information on victims and property damage on the ground in an effort to help us better coordinate our response,” the agency said.
‘Losses will be high’: How Haiti’s earthquake compares with its 2010 quake in size, devastation
In Les Cayes, Jennie Auguste was lying on a mattress on an airport’s tarmac with wounds in the chest, abdomen and arm. Hospitals and clinics in Les Cayes are overwhelmed, so Auguste awaited space at a local hospital or access to the small planes that ferry injured people to Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince.
“There has been nothing. No help, nothing from the government,” Auguste’s sister, Bertrande, said Sunday.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who visited some of the worst-hit areas, lauded the “dignity and courage” of citizens helping each other amid the rubble.
“Aid management will be speeded up,” Henry said. “We are going to increase our energies tenfold to reach, in terms of assistance, the maximum number of victims possible.”
‘I hope they hear us praying’: More than 1,200 dead in Haiti earthquake as global support pours in
The quake, centered 80 miles west of Port-au-Prince, toppled entire towns and triggered landslides. Haiti, with a population of 11 million and the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, already was struggling mightily with the pandemic, gang violence, worsening poverty and political instability following the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
Last week, the election to replace him was delayed from next month until November. No reason for the delay was revealed.
Martin Griffiths, the United Nations under-secretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief, said he was allocating $8 million to support the humanitarian response to the earthquake.
“This allocation will provide essentials like health care, clean water, emergency shelter and sanitation for people affected by the disaster,” he said.
The race to help comes as Tropical Depression Grace rolls toward Hispaniola, the island Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic. The island could see up to 15 inches of rain in some areas, the U.S. National Hurricane Center warned.
“This heavy rainfall may lead to flash and urban flooding and possible mudslides,” hurricane specialist Robbie Berg said.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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