Many people are feared to die as a powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck western Haiti on Saturday and fled their homes due to the threat of collapse of their inhabitants.
“Red warning to quake-related casualties. According to the US Geological Survey, casualties are likely to be high and disasters can be widespread.USGS).
According to the USGS, the quake occurred about five miles from the town of Petit Tordonips, 93 miles west of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Shivering was felt throughout the Caribbean Sea.
According to the United States, a regional tsunami warning was issued. Tsunami warning systemWaves can occur up to 10 feet above the tide level, along part of the country’s coast.
Forecasters said there was no tsunami threat to the east coast of the United States, the Gulf Coast, or the Caribbean islands at this time.
The first image of the quake posted on social media by witnesses seems to show that some buildings collapsed in the area along with street rubble.
Many collapsed buildings and houses per report, first photo of Haiti M7.6 earthquake damage August 14, 2021 pic.twitter.com/a3iUoXGFVR
— AwareMap (@AwareMap) August 14, 2021
Naomi Vernus, 34, who lives in Port-au-Prince, said she was awakened by the earthquake and her bed was shaking.
“When I woke up, I didn’t have time to put on my shoes. We lived in the 2010 earthquake and all I could do was run. I later my two kids and my mother I remembered that I was still inside. My neighbor went in and told them to go out. We ran down the street, “Vernus said.
Haiti is still recovering from a major earthquake near the capital 11 years ago. The quake killed about 250,000 people, flattened buildings and left about 1.5 million homeless.
Also on Saturday, a few hours before Haiti was hit, a similar-strength earthquake struck the coast of the Alaska Peninsula. USGS report..
No tsunami warning was issued because a magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurred just before 4 am at a depth of 6 miles. Shivering was felt in Chignik, Cold Bay, Kodiak and Bethel.
The closest location to the epicenter was Perryville, a little over 100 people, about 85 miles northwest.
According to the USGS, 75% of all US earthquakes of magnitude greater than 5 occur in Alaska.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
from NTD News
