Very shocked that no one posted this yet. Hundreds of thousands are dead, as no one was spared:

Haiti earthquake: Port-au-Prince rocked by 7.0 quake; buildings collapse, hundreds feared dead

By Helen Kennedy
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Originally Published:Tuesday, January 12th 2010, 5:29 PM
Updated: Wednesday, January 13th 2010, 2:05 AM

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Scene of chaos and devastation in the densely-populated Port-au-Prince area of Haiti after a huge quake rocked the region.

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Haitians standing amid rubble in Port-au-Prince. CLICK TO SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM SCENE.

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A devastating quake left Haiti's capital in ruins, knocking down hospitals, high-rises, and churches Tuesday - and leveling the presidential palace.

"There must be thousands of people dead," Catholic Relief Services representative Karel Zelenka told colleagues by phone, just before service went out.

"People were screaming 'Jesus, Jesus' and running in all directions," said Reuters reporter Joseph Guyler Delva from the capital Port-au-Prince. "It's total chaos."

"The whole city is in darkness, you have thousands of people sitting in the streets, with nowhere to go," said Rachmani Domersant of the relief group Food for the Poor.

He and others have reported many downtown buildings collapsed in the city of 2 million, including the parliament, UN headquarters and other other official buildings.

Photographs showed the famed domed presidential palace almost completely destroyed.

President Rene Preval was not hurt, said Raymond Joseph, Haiti's ambassador to the U.S.

"It's going to be a major catastrophe when we start to count the dead," said Joseph.

The extent of the horror was only beginning to emerge. Near-complete power failures left Haiti, an impoverished island nation of 8million, largely cut off from the world.

Efforts to rescue the injured and trapped were described as desperate. People were clawing at the debris with their bare hands, trying to save loved ones, witnesses said.

In the hilly neighborhood of Petionville, where a hospital fell on top of screaming patients, a visiting U.S. federal official said he saw a number of homes collapsed into a ravine.

"The sky is just gray with dust," Henry Bahn said. "I just hear a tremendous amount of noise and shouting and screaming in the distance."

Haitian immigrants in New York City and elsewhere were frantically trying to contact relatives back home - and having no luck getting through.

The magnitude-7.0 quake hitright near Port-au-Prince at 4:53 p.m. and is believed to be the strongest quake in Haiti in more than 200 years. Two powerful aftershocks measuring 5.9 and 5.5 soon followed, further damaging structures weakened by the initial quake.

The quake struck just as Haiti was starting to show the first signs of recovery from the relentless battering of Hurricanes Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike in 2008, which killed hundreds and left 800,000 people homeless.

Famed Haitian musician Wyclef Jean, who has worked to improve conditions in his homeland, said he feared what will follow this "human disaster" - including looting.

"Idle hands will only make this tragedy worse," he warned.

It's bad enough when a quake hits an industrialized area like San Francisco but when you see it happen in second or third world countries, it's just mind-blowing the amount of damage that can be done to an area within 30 seconds.

Wow, my heart bleeds. Mind-blowing how just seemless seconds can destroy lives.

No buildings were spared. The presidential palace is in ruins....Which makes me call into question who built these structures.

That's what I call weak foundations.

The sad thing about earthquakes is that the destruction is worst for those who can't afford to rebuild. In the MEDC world we can afford better construction methods, more advanced materials and superior building technology so that earthquakes don't devastate our cities, and if a really bad one ever hit we could rebuild fairly quickly.

But in poor countries when an Earthquake hits it will knock over far more building because they don't have the technology and resources which rich countries have, so the devastation is much worse. On top of that they don't have the resources to rebuild.

Wow, that's is just terrible.

Wow, that is horrible. I imagine there will be quite a few countries who will be lending a hand with the recovery effort. Although I dont know which ones that would be,

A lot of aid is already pouring in:

 Belgium: Belgium will send its B-Fast team with 58 people, they are to be dispatched on 13 January 2010.^[64]

 Brazil: President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed his sorrow and offered to send USD 10 million in humanitarian aid to Haiti to help reconstruct the country after the devastating earthquake.^[65] Additionally, Brazil will deploy two airplanes that will carry, in total, 28 tons of food, bottled water and other supplies to help the affected people.^[66] The Brazilian-led MINUSTAH headquarters in Haiti was destroyed in the quake, however, the building of the Brazilian Army forces is intact. The Brazilian army is currently doing its work on foot as a result of the debris on the road. As the largest contingent of international troops in Haiti, it is providing major help in trying to find people under the rubble of collapsed buildings.^[67]

 Canada: Foreign minister Lawrence Cannon has stated that Canada will send the DART.^[68] The Canadian government has also pledged $5 million in emergency aid to Haiti. In addition to advance teams and DART, a CC-177 Globemaster III aircraft full of medical aid and a pair of search-and-rescue helicopters will be sent and 2 naval frigates, HMCS Ville de Québec & HMCS Halifax is on standby in Halifax for possible assistance.^[69]

 Colombia: President Álvaro Uribe Vélez expressed solidarity to the Haitian people and announced that his government will be on alert and ready to provide help to Haiti. Uribe also said that Colombia will be sending a squad of personnel experienced in rescue.^[70]

 Costa Rica: President Oscar Arias Sanchez announced that Costa Rica will be sending as much help as possible when the United Nations have a list ready. Oscar Arias also said that is time to the world to look out at Haiti.

 China: P.R. China sent a 60-member rescue team (National Earthquake Disaster Emergency Rescue Team) following the quake. The team consists of rescuers, medical personnel, experts, and three search dogs. The team left the following day from Beijing.^[71][72] Red Cross Society of China will also offer assistance to Haiti.^[73] Liu Xiangyang is the Vice Leader of Chinese Int'l Search & Rescue Team.^[74]

 Denmark: The Ministry for Development Cooperation has pledged to donate around USD 2 million (DKK 10 million) to the UN's mission in Haiti.^[75]

 Dominican Republic: President Leonel Fernández rallied the international community to help its neighbor to overcome a "real tragedy." Its air force is currently picking up survivors for aid and is transporting trained dogs to sniff for victims under rubble.^[76]

 EU: The EC has released €3m in emergency funding and is expecting to do more once an EU expert reports back with a clearer picture of needs.^[77]

 Finland: The Finnish Red Cross (SPR) has pledged €200,000 to help Haiti.^[78]

 France: Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said France will dispatch aid to the country.^[76] Co-operation Minister Alain Joyandet said France was sending a plane from the nearby French Caribbean island of Martinique with 25 police and rescuers and hospital staff, and another from Marseille in southern France with 60 people on board. Also, the French humanitarian group Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said it was treating around 600 people in its centres in Port-au-Prince and that it would on Wednesday send a 100-bed inflatable field hospital.^[79]

 Germany: The German government has released €1.5 million (USD$2.18m) in aid.^[80] Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said that his country had pledged aid to Haiti and called together a crisis management team to deal with the disaster.^[81]

 Greece: Prime Minister George Papandreou reported that Greece will help if needed. The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated they will be helping international organisations coordinate humanitarian relief efforts.

 Iceland: The government has decided to send a International SAR team, specialized in searching for survivors in collapsed buildings.^[82]

 Israel: The Foreign Affairs Ministry dispatched a rescue team to the Haiti while IsraAid, an Israeli humanitarian organization is planing to send a 12-man search-and-rescue team, which includes emergency medical staff.^[83]

 Italy: The Italian government has prepared a military transport plane which will be used to carry in a field hospital and emergency medical team.^[80]

 Japan:The Japanese government is preparing for aid.^[84] The Japanese Red Cross dispatched its staff to Haiti to collect information of the disaster. It also donated ¥20 million (USD$220,000) to the International Committee of the Red Cross.^[85]

 Mexico: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will deploy a plan used to aid Mexicans in disasters to be used in Haiti.^[76]

 Netherlands: The Netherlands has pledged €2 million (USD$2.9 million) in aid.^[80] The Joined Aid Organisations announced that they will organize a national campaign for Haiti.^[86] The usual 'giro'number (555) has opened for Haiti as well.^[87]

 Norway: Norway will be sending delegations from the Norwegian Red Cross and the charitable organisation Norwegian Church Aid. The country will also offer substantial financial aid, but a sum has yet to be decided upon.^[88]

 Pakistan: Several Pakistani rescuers and troops stationed in affected areas by Minustah.^[89]

 Panama: Vice President Juan Carlos Varela has indicated that Panama is willing to help.^[76]

 Peru: Peru's representatives of MINUSTAH will send more aid and will help in Haiti's reorganization.^[76]

 Puerto Rico: The government has authorized a mission of workers and physicians to aid in providing search support, medical care and food to the island nation.^[90]

 Republic of Ireland: A number of Irish charities have launched appeals for aid for the victims in Haiti.^[77]

 Russia: Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia sent a mobile hospital with doctors and medical staff.^[91]

 Spain: Holding the presidency of the European Union, Spain will coordinate the European aid to Haiti, valued at €3million. In addition, Spain will send 3 military airplanes and 50 tons of humanitarian assistance as well as medical and rescue teams.

 Sweden: Swedish state aid agency SIDA makes funds of approximately 900 000 USD available as emergency aid.^[92] The Swedish Red Cross has started a fundraiser urging Swedes to contribute at least 50 SEK each towards the aid of the Haitian people. In addition, the country sends a 2 person delegation.^[93]

 Switzerland: A Swiss Air-Ambulance CL604 Challenger jet left Zürich on Wednesday morning to Port-au-Prince (although it is not sure whether it will be able to land in Toussaint L'Ouverture International Airport or in another nearby airport) with a quick-response team from the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit in order to identify local needs and prepare in case of further deployment.^{[94][95][96][97]}

 Taiwan: A team of 23 rescue workers and two specially trained dogs will be sent.^[98]

 Turkey: The Turkish Red Crescent has sent a team to the region.^[99]

 UK: The day after the quake, a team of 61 firefighters from the United Kingdom volunteered to go to Haiti in an effort to rescue survivors. The team would be equipped with specialized equipment such as heavy equipment, cameras and acoustic listening devices.^[100]

 USA:

Immediately after the earthquake, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States would provide civilian and military disaster relief and humanitarian assistance to Haiti.^[101] USAID is sending a disaster assistance response team to Haiti. The Fairfax County (Va.) Urban Search and Rescue Team and the Los Angeles County Search and Rescue Team were alerted and are going to Haiti as well to assist. They are to arrive on Wednesday.^[102][103]

Several U.S. Coast Guard ships were dispatched to Haiti, including the Valiant, Forward, Mohawk, and Tahoma, as well as a C-130 Hercules from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater.^[104] The U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort was deployed to Haiti, as were the USS Underwood and the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson. All US navy ships on the east coast have been put on standby as well.^[105][106]

 Venezuela: Foreign Minister Nicolás Maduro ordered 50 representatives from his country to transport food and aid.

Wow, that's horrible. Random, but I found an odd quote from Obama in one of the articles: