IMF cancels $268 million Haiti debt and provide aid

The IMF announced on Wednesday that it had  canceled Haiti’s $268 million debt and will lend the earthquake-devastated country another $60 million to help it with reconstruction plans. The decision was a part of a plan for long-term reconstruction after the Jan. 12 magnitude-7 quake, which killed as many as 300,000 people in Haiti, IMF [...]

6.2 magnitude earthquake hits Mexico

A strong 6.2-magnitude hit southern Mexico on Wednesday, but no casualties or damage was reported. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck near the town of Pinotepa Nacional around 80 miles southwest of the colonial city of Oaxaca early morning. They also said the quake was as strong as magnitude 6.5 but later revised [...]

Haiti made Debt-Free by World Bank

This Friday, the World Bank relieved Haiti of its total debt, amounting to $36 million dollars. This was done with the help of generous funding by Belgium, Italy, Ireland, Canada, France, Finland, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and Japan. Haiti had obtained a loan of $1.2 million dollars last year from the International Development Association, which is [...]

7.4-magnitude earthquake shakes western Indonesia

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake rattled Northern Indonesia’s Sumtara island on Sunday, causing a brief local tsunami watch, knocking out power and damaging some homes, officials said. The U.S. Geological Survey said the afternoon quake hit 135 miles (220 kilometers) southeast of Banda Aceh at a depth at 38 miles (61 kilometers). 90-minutes after a tsunami watch was issued by the Pacific [...]

China mourns for thousands of earthquake victims

Thousands of people including officials, soldiers and civilians gathered Wednesday for a ceremony to give tribute and show that China mourns for thousands of victims in earthquake that killed a total of 2,064 people in a remote area of Tibetan region a week ago. The earthquakes epicenter hit in Yushu County in western Qinghai province. [...]

China’s President joined relief effort

Hu Jintao, China’s President flew to a remote area and visited the victims or the earthquake that killed an estimated 1,706 people. This is to speed up relief distribution in the said area. Hu Jintao took a cut short South American trip to immediately arrive at the area. “Saving life remains the first priority. We [...]

Earthquake in western China kills almost 400 people, burying even more

At least 400 people were killed by a series of strong earthquakes which struck a far western Tibetan area of China on Wednesday, and over 10,000 houses made of mud and wood were wrecked, burying hundreds of people, officials said. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded the strongest quake to be of a magnitude 6.9. The series of [...]

7.1-magnitude earthquake shakes Solomon Islands

A powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit the Solomon Islands on Sunday. The monitoring agency said a tsunami was not expected. The U.S. Geological Survey said the 7.1-magnitude quake hit southwest of the island chain’s Kira Kira island in the South Pacific. The temblor’s epicenter was about 130 miles (210 kilometers) southeast of the capital, Honiara. No immediate reports of damage or [...]

Haiti schools reopen for the first time after earthquake

Since the devastating earthquake in Haiti on January 12, the schools in the capital were kept closed. However, the institutes began opening across the capital for the first time in three months on Monday. This is a step towards normality in the traumatized country, after the damage or destruction of almost 4,000 schools in the [...]

Earthquake rocks western Mexico

A 7.2 magnitude earthquake has hit the Mexican peninsula of Baja California, killing at least one person and causing tremors as far away as Nevada. The quake struck at 1540 (2240 GMT), 26km (16 miles) south-west of Guadalupe Victoria in Baja California, at a depth of 32km, said the US Geological Survey. Some people are [...]

Toads can ‘predict earthquakes’ and seismic activity

Common toads appear to be able to sense an impending earthquake and will flee their colony days before the seismic activity strikes. The evidence comes from a population of toads which left their breeding colony three days before an earthquake that struck L’Aquila in Italy in 2009. How toads sensed the quake is unclear, but [...]

UN chief Ban Ki-moon urges support for $4bn Haiti plan

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has opened a fundraising conference on Haiti by calling for a “wholesale national renewal” of the earthquake-hit country. Mr Ban gave his support to a plan to rebuild Haiti which will require almost $4bn (£2.65bn) in initial aid payments. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told delegates the US would give [...]

Strong earthquake hits northern Chile

A strong earthquake shook northern Chile on Friday. The quake struck at 11:52 a.m. local time (10:52 p.m. EDT; 1452 GMT). The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 and was centered near Copiapo, 380 miles (600 kilometers) north of the capital of Santiago. No immediate reports of injuries were made. [...]

6.1-magnitude earthquake shakes Philippines

A 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit the Mindoro region of the Philippines on Thursday, officials said. The quake struck at 1:29 p.m. local time. The regions to feel the tremor were Manila and nearby areas in the northern Philippines. According to USGS reports, the epicenter was almost 86 miles (139 km) from the capital, Manila, and was [...]

Resurrecting razed Haiti from the dust

Haiti is already fighting one battle against Mother Nature. Now it is facing another. In just a few weeks, by the end of March, or in April, the rainy season will begin. Some 700,000 people are living out in the open, in makeshift shelters.The luckier have found old and rusty corrugated iron roofs. Others huddle [...]

Earthquakes

Earthquakes is defined as shaking and vibration at the surface of the earth resulting from underground movement along a fault plane of from volcanic activity. It is a disturbance that is extremely disruptive. The abrupt shaking of the ground caused by an abrupt shift of rock along a fracture in the earth. It is also [...]

Strong earthquake hits Japan

A 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit the eastern coast of Japan on Sunday, shaking buildings across the country and the capital. No casualties were reported. However, only structures near the epicenter were slightly damaged, according to local officials. The quake hit at 5:08 p.m. and was felt most strongly in central Fukushima, which lies northeast of [...]

Earthquake shakes eastern Turkey, killing at least 51

A strong 6.0 magnitude earthquake hit eastern Turkey on Monday, killing at least 51 people and knocking down houses in at least six small villages, the government said. The quake affected villages near the town of Kovancilar, toppling stone or mud-brick homes and minarets of mosques, officials and media reports said. The worst-hit area was [...]

UN chief Ban Ki-moon visits quake-hit Chile city

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has visited a Chilean city badly damaged by last week’s earthquake and promised aid to help the country recover. Mr Ban flew into Concepcion aboard a Chilean Air Force plane and was shown a 15-storey building that had collapsed, killing at least nine people. As the clear-up continues, doctors have warned [...]

Powerful 6.4 magnitude quake hits Taiwan, injuring 12 people

A powerful 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit southern Taiwan on Thursday, terrifying residents, and disrupting communications, triggering at least one large fire. Twelve people were injured, the National Fire Agency said. No tsunami alert was issued. The quake was centered in the same mountainous region of rural Kaohsiung county that endured the brunt of the damage from Typhoon Morakot, [...]

6.1 magnitude earthquake hits Philippines

A 6.1 magnitude quake rocked the extreme northern Philippines on Tuesday, but there were no reports of any damage or casualties, government sesismologists said. The quake’s epicentre was traced at 130 kilometres (80.6 miles) north-northeast of Tuguegarao city on Luzon island, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said. ‘We have not reports of any [...]

Japan remains cautious after tsunami alert cancellation

A day after the deadly 8.8-magnitude quake struck Chilean capital Santiago 3:34 a.m. (Chilean time) last Saturday, tsunami warnings were cancelled for all countries, including the nations around the Pacific. However, despite the tsunami cancellation of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, Japan remained cautious, downgrading its warning to “tsunami” from “major tsunami.” The quake that [...]

8.8-magnitude quake hits Chile, sends tsunami waves to the Pacific

A devastating 8.8-magnitude quake hit Chilean capital Santiago early Saturday, killing at least 122 people, snapping power and communication lines, and leaving rubbles of building and infrastructures behind. Minutes after the tremendous quake that shook 115 kilometers of Conception and 325 kilometers of northeast Santiago, a 7.7-foot wave crashed onto the coastal town of Talcahuano. [...]

5.1 magnitude earthquake hits southwestern China

A 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck China’s southwestern province of Yunnan on Thursday, injuring 11 people and damaging many houses, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. The quake struck at 12:56 p.m. (0456 GMT) in Chuxiong prefecture, about 60 miles (95 kilometers) northwest of the provincial capital of Kunming, the national earthquake monitoring center reported. Xinhua cited a [...]

Haiti leader says quake toll could reach 300,000

The president of Haiti said Sunday the death toll from his country’s earthquake could reach 300,000 once all the bodies are recovered from wrecked buildings. Speaking after arriving in Mexico for regional meetings that will include discussion of Haitian aid needs, Preval gave no indication of how he reached the figure. “You have seen the pictures, you know the [...]

Earthquake hits North Sea off Denmark

A 4.7 magnitude earthquake jolted the eastern North Sea off north-western Denmark late Friday. No reports of injuries or damage was made, stated the police and geologists on Saturday. The earthquake struck 140km west of the city of Aalborg at a depth of 10km, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said. Stig Asbjorn Schack Pedersen, researcher at [...]

8 U.S. missionaries reach home after being freed by Haitian judge

Out of the 10 missionaries charged with child kidnapping in Haiti, 8 were sent home on Thursday by the Haitian judge. The remaining 2 missionaries remain in a Haitian jail in an ordeal sparked by the group’s attempt to take 33 children out of the earthquake-stricken country. The missionaries arrived on a U.S. Air Force [...]

Fake Coupon Scam Hits Haiti Aid Effort

Another setback hit the struggling aid effort in Haiti as the UN halted deliveries to around 10,000 quake survivors after discovering that fake coupons were in operation. A disconcerted crowd waited till the afternoon at the drop-off site located near the town hall in the Port-au-Prince suburb of Petioville, and some tried to get tickets [...]

A catastrophe called “Haiti”

The quake – Haiti’s worst in two centuries – struck at 1653 92153 GMT) on 12th January 2010. Phone lines to the country failed shortly afterwards. The US Geological Survey said its epicentre was 15km (10 miles) south-west of Port-au-Prince, and that it was quickly followed by two strong aftershocks of 5.9 and 5.5 magnitude. [...]

Haiti says Baptists can be tried in U.S.

Haiti’s Prime Minister Max Bellerive said on Monday that it was clear to him that the 10 U.S. Baptists who tried to take 33 children out of his quake-ravaged country without permission “knew what they were doing was wrong.” The prime minster also told The Associated Press his country is open to having the Americans [...]

World Economic Forum turns spotlight on rebuilding Haiti

The main focus of the World Economic forum, held on Thursday at the Swiss Alpine resort, was to restore the earthquake-ravaged Haiti and guiding Africa towards prosperity. The former U.S. President Bill Clinton will urge the 2,500 attendees of the forum to invest in Haiti. On the other hand, the South African President Jacob Zuma [...]

Travolta lands his own jet in Haiti carrying relief supplies

John Travolta landed his own jet in Haiti on Monday carrying relief supplies, Scientology ministers, and a team including doctors. The 55 year-old actor flew the Boeing 707 from Florida carrying 4 tons of rations and medical supplies for the earthquake victims of the capital of Port-au-Prince. Also accompanying Travolta was his wife, actress Kelly [...]

More than 80 million people watch Haiti aid telethon

Over 80 million people tuned in to watch last week’s all-star “Hope for Haiti Now:  A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief” telethon. The Nielsen Co. said Monday that an estimated 83 million people saw at least a brief part of the fundraiser carried Friday on 33 TV networks. The audience watching the two-hour event at [...]

Haiti telethon raises $61 million charity

Organizers for last week’s “Hoper for Haiti Now” telethon announced they had raised an estimated amount of $61 million on Monday. Backed by George Clooney and Haiti-born rapper Wyclef Jean, the two-hour telethon which aired on Friday, drew an average audience of 24 million viewers in the United States to watch celebrities performing, telling tales [...]

Safety Precautions for Earthquakes

After the catastrophe that had happened to Haiti just last week because of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit the island leaving more than 110,000 people dead, devastated buildings and houses and more than 70,000 people injured, most of us are seeking for some safety measures when an earthquake is happening. These are some safety [...]

“Hope for Haiti Now” telethon collects $57 million so far

Organizers for the all-star “Hope for Haiti Now” telethon say that the event has raised $57 million so far. “The public has set a new standard of giving for a relief telethon with ‘Hope for Haiti Now,’ and the donations continue to come in,” Lisa Paulsen, president and CEO of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, said in [...]

Telethon raises $57 million for Haiti

The “Hope for Haiti Now” telethon, a US telethon to help raise funds for Haiti earthquake victims, which led by George Clooney and Haiti-born rapper Wyclef Jean, has raised more than $57 million for relief to the earthquake-ravaged country, organizers said on Saturday. They called the $57 million a record for public donations in a [...]

110,000 Confirmed dead in Haiti quake

More than 110, 000 people have been confirmed dead in the Haiti earthquake which struck January 12, with Reichter scale magnitude of 7.0. Nearly twice as much as the government’s previous estimate of 75,000 killed. The government has put the death toll from the devastating earthquake at 11,499, with an estimated 193,691 people injured and [...]

Rescue operations in Haiti declared “over”

After the rescue operations done in the devastated capital city of Port-au-Prince due to a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck on January 12, The United Nations says Haiti’s government has declared the search and rescue phase for survivors of the earthquake over. This announcement came after rescue teams have pulled two people, an 84-year-old woman, and [...]

“Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit For Earthquake Relief” telethon

With George Clooney’s partnership, MTV Networks has produced the ‘Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit For Earthquake Relief’ telethon which will air on Friday, January 22nd 8p.m. ET on almost every cable channel. The musical lineup for the two-hour event, hosted by George Clooney, Wyclef Jean, and Anderson Cooper, comprises of 22 of the [...]

Beyonce & Madonna join ‘Hope for Haiti Now’ telethon; DiCaprio donates $1 million

Beyonce and Madonna have joined the team of performers to Friday’s multi-network “Hope for Haiti Now” telethon, and Denzel Washington, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and former President Bill Clinton are among the participants. A statement was released on Thursday which said that Beyonce would be performing from London, while Madonna will perform from New York [...]

Haiti should expect more aftershocks: Scientists

Haiti is at risk for more aftershocks in the coming weeks, and while the usual pattern suggests they will become weaker and less frequent, another one as strong as Wednesday’s jolt is certainly possible, scientists say. Since the January 12th, 7.0-magnitude quake, the Caribbean state has felt more than 45 significant aftershocks. The most recent [...]

6.1 magnitude quake hits Haiti

Only eight days after the country’s capital was devastated by an earthquake, a new powerful aftershock hit Haiti on Wednesday, which shook buildings and sent people screaming into the streets. The magnitude of the quake was 6.1, making it the largest aftershock yet to the apocalyptic January 12 quake that left the capital of Haiti [...]

Credit card companies profits on Haiti

As wallets are open for Haiti donations, credit card companies take a big cut and are now profiting from clients.  Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover have now all announced they they will have waive fees for some donations related on the crisis in Haiti. As a massive human tragedy unfolds in Haiti due to [...]

World’s deadliest earthquakes in history

The world had seen so many earthquakes over the years.  It is difficult to rank them because there are different ways of defining worst, in ways of counting the rate of death and injured people, total funds needed for rebuilding establishments, buildings and houses crumbled and somehow, also calculate the damage it has done to [...]

Americans in Haiti says it’s a never ending nightmare

Thousands of Haitians died in crumbled buildings and establishments after the 7.0 magnitude earthquake which struck the island just last week.  But there were also more than 45,000 United States citizens on the island when the catastrophe occurred, from missionaries and aid workers to businessman and tourists. At least 16 Americans have been confirmed dead [...]

More U.S. military troops bound to Haiti

United States President Barrack Obama signed an executive order over the weekend allowing members of the reserves to be called up to support the relief efforts in Haiti, where the U.S. military on Sunday bolstered the flow of troops and humanitarian aid. About 5,000 U.S. military were already assisting on the ground and from ships [...]

Briton confirmed dead in Haiti earthquake

United Nations worker Frederick Wooldridge has been confirmed as the first British man who have died in the Haiti earthquake which hit last Tuesday. His family paid tribute to him saying he “loved” his work with the UN where he was  a Senior Political Affairs and Planning officer. They said, “Frederick was a much-loved member [...]

Their stories on Haiti earthquake

This 7.0 magnitude earthquake which struck Haiti last Tuesday, January 12th, has been all over the headlines and also internet websites for less than a week now.  CNN News has compiled stories of their website readers and they told stories about how this tragedy affected their lives. SUSAN WESTWOOD, Port-au-Prince, Haiti She is a pediatric [...]

Scientists say that Haiti must prepare for more earthquakes

Scientists warned on Friday that Haiti and its neighboring areas must prepare themselves for more massive quakes after the devastating tremors this week increased pressure along a lengthy fault line. Paul Mann, a senior research scientist at the Institute for Geophysics at the University of Texas at Austin, warned that just because the rebuilding process had [...]

Extreme destruction of Haiti earthquake

Firsts reports from the epicentre of Tuesday’s 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti suggest the damage is even more dramatic than in Port-au-Prince, as said in the reports. They said the scene in Leogane, west of the capital city of Haiti, has the extreme damage more than in Port-au-Prince, with thousands left homeless and almost very [...]

Haitians searching for missing loved ones

Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Haitians are desperately waiting outside crumbled schools, devastated buildings, or shattered markets, in search for their parents, children, siblings or lovers.  They stand waiting at smashed buildings asking for latest recovered dead bodies or survivors, where they thought their relatives was last known to visit or at establishments where they remembered their mothers [...]

Latest news on Haiti earthquake crisis

Still on massive efforts to rescue uncollected dead bodies and process of providing help for Haiti earthquake victims, which had hit last Tuesday, an strong-felt 4.5 magnitude aftershock had shaken Haiti’s capital today, interrupting great efforts to free survivors believed trapped under the Montana Hotel. They withdrew the operation when they felt the tremor this [...]

UK searching for Haiti earthquake survivors

The first British search and rescue workers to enter earthquake-ravaged Haiti are beginning to scour the rubble for survivors as logistical problems continue the massive international relief effort. Around 50,000 people are feared dead after Tuesday’s earthquake, with millions more injured, orphaned or homeless in the stricken Caribbean country.  Disasters Emergency Committee  (DEC) launched televisions [...]

U.S. texting raises $11 million for Haitian earthquake relief

The cell phone users of the U.S. have contributed more than $11 million to Haitian earthquake relief through text messages. The Mobile Giving Foundation calls this mobile response to a natural disaster as a ‘mobile-giving record’ for funds raised for a single cause. Donations are rising swiftly, it said, as former President Bill Clinton and [...]

UN appeals for $560 million for Haiti aid

The UN appealed for $560 million on Friday to help the three million people badly affected by the earthquake. About a third of the buildings were said to have been damaged or destroyed by the massive earthquake and help was needed for the devastated Haitians. The UN humanitarian chief John Holmes launched the emergency request [...]

Haiti donations breaking all records

As of this moment, Haiti’s tragedy donations is considered the record-breaking of all compare to the previous Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 Asian tsunami. It was a 7.0-magnitude quake that struck in Haiti last Tuesday, January 12th, year 2010. It has been reported that more than 100, 000 people died and still a lot are [...]

Aid floods in as death toll rises in Haiti

Planeloads of food and medicine poured in Haiti on Thursday along with troops to help the traumatized nation hit by the massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake, which led to the collapse of government buildings, homes and countless people. Although the death toll is expected to be over 100,000, reports from the Haitian Red Cross have confirmed [...]

Major earthquake hits Haiti

A powerful earthquake hit the capital of Haiti, Port-Au-Prince on Tuesday with the most forceful tremor ever to hit the country in 200 years. The earthquake toppled everything, from simple shacks and hospitals, to the ornate National Palace and the headquarters of the U.N. peacekeepers. Thousands were buried alive under the rubble and large numbers [...]

6.5 magnitude earthquake hits Californian coast

A strong offshore earthquake shook buildings in far northern California on Saturday, causing damage to homes and buildings, and cutting electric power to thousands of people. Many people were reported to have visited hospitals to seek treatment for cuts and bruises from the falling debris. The 6.5 magnitude quake hit the state at 4:27 p.m. [...]