Aruba is more than 1000 miles from Haiti. A massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck the Caribbean nation of Haiti on Tuesday, Jan. 12, at 4:53 p.m. EST, just 10 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, the capitol of Haiti. Shockwaves were felt in Aruba almost 12 hours later.
I woke to the bed shaking at 4:30, due to an aftershock from the 7.0 earthquake. Then another aftershock hit this Caribbean island at 7:30 am. The bed felt like it jumped off the floor. I was amazed how the aftershock felt. Some people said they heard the wind. I was stunned by the intensity of the movement here 1000 miles away. And I was stunned by the damage in Haiti due to the earthquake.
Some of the information that is in the news:
The extent of the devastation is still unclear but there are fears thousands of people may have died. The Red Cross says up to three million people have been affected. Only 9 million people live in Haiti, with 2 million in the capitol.
This is Haiti's worst quake in two centuries. Describing the earthquake as a "catastrophe", the earthquake that devastated Haiti Tuesday was the strongest temblor to hit the island nation in more than 200 years. The magnitude 7.0 quake caused tremendous damage that officials have yet to fully characterize, and the death toll may run into the thousands. Red Cross is estimating as high as 250,000.
The Haiti earthquake occurred at a fault that runs right through Haiti and is situated along the boundary between the Caribbean and North American plates, which are rocky slabs that cover the planet and fit together like a giant jigsaw puzzle. These two plates constantly creep past one another, about 0.8 inches (20 mm) a year, with the Caribbean plate moving eastward with respect to the North American slab.
Quote: "All of a sudden everything was just falling apart ... there was no place to hide"
Our prayers go out to the Haiti people and to others who were in the country to help, for their jobs, or living there. I know I was shocked this morning, especially after watching the news and knowing that we are close. Close enough to feel their shock….
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2 comments:
I'm glad you guys were ok and you at least put this message up since we can't talk. We were worried about how it was affecting Aruba! Hope you are having fun! Love you!
Aruba is about 500 miles from Haiti. We only felt this 2 aftershocks and nothing since. It is sad to think that after 2 days, they are still having a hard time getting into the country. Haiti is part of an island too, and the port was damaged. I can't believe what the people are going through, as it is hotter there - 90's yesterday. I'm glad we don't fly into Florida tomorrow, as planes are still trying to get out of there to go to Haiti. We are well here! Love you too!
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