#16,124
A little over 11 and a half years ago - on the afternoon of January 12, 2020 - Haiti suffered a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that resulted in more damage, and loss of life, than any other natural disaster in decades.
Although estimates vary, between 220,000-300,000 are estimated to have perished. Another 300,000 were injured, and 1.5 million were left homeless, making this the 4th deadliest natural disaster in the past 120 years.
Today, a slightly stronger earthquake struck the same general area, and while damage reports are just coming out of the area, a local Tsunami warning was briefly issued, and preliminary reports indicate a number of collapsed buildings in the affected area.
Hopefully today's quake won't be anywhere near as bad as 2010, but the USGS has issued a RED PAGER alert, which anticipates heavy casualties ( > 10,000) and heavy economic losses.
Adding to the crisis, parts of Haiti are in the forecast path of Tropical Storm Grace, which is expected to arrive in about 72 hours, and which could seriously complicate rescue efforts. It is also worth noting that we are just now getting into the heart of the Atlantic Tropical Season.
As we've discussed often (see The Caribbean’s Hidden Tsunami Potential), the Caribbean is seismically very active, and is prone to earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions.
I may post additional information as it comes in, but you can monitor the latest reports on Twitter.
