![]() Just last month, the country of 11 million people received its first batch of U.S.-donated coronavirus vaccines, via a United Nations program for low-income countries. The reports of overwhelmed hospitals come as Haiti struggles with the pandemic and a lack of resources to deal with it. "They disappeared - just like that," Sajous said. Fernand Sajous, owner of the Abaka Bay Resort, said by telephone that nine of the hotel’s 30 rooms collapsed, but he said they were vacant at the time and no one was injured. On the tiny island of Ile-a-Vache, about 6.5 miles (10.5 kilometers) from Les Cayes, the quake damaged a seaside resort popular with Haitian officials, business leaders, diplomats and humanitarian workers. "We still don’t know how many people are under the rubble," he said. The earthquake, he said, coincided with the festivities to celebrate the town’s patron saint, adding that the hotel likely was full and the small town had more people than usual. Philippe Boutin, 37, who lives in Puerto Rico but visits his family annually in Les Cayes, said his mother was saying morning prayers when the shaking began, but was able to leave the house.Ī 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Saturday, with the epicenter about 78 miles west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. He died along with several others when his hotel, Le Manguier, collapsed, the Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste reported. ″Once again, Haiti has been hit by adversity,″ Chilean President Sebastian Piñera said.Īmong those killed in the earthquake was Gabriel Fortuné, a longtime lawmaker and former mayor of Les Cayes. USAID will help to assess damage and assist in rebuilding, said Biden, who called the United States a "close and enduring friend to the people of Haiti."Ī growing number of countries offered help, including Argentina and Chile, which said it was preparing to send humanitarian aid. President Joe Biden authorized an immediate response and named USAID Administrator Samantha Power as the senior official coordinating the U.S effort to help Haiti. Later, as he boarded a plane bound for Les Cayes, Henry said he wanted "structured solidarity" to ensure the response was coordinated to avoid the confusion that followed the devastating 2010 earthquake, when aid was slow to reach residents after as many as 300,000 were killed. We must take care of the injured and fractured, but also provide food, aid, temporary shelter and psychological support," he said. He said the International Red Cross and hospitals in unaffected areas were helping to care for the injured, and appealed to Haitians for unity. "We have learned that the local hospitals, in particular that of Les Cayes, are overwhelmed with wounded, fractured people." "The most important thing is to recover as many survivors as possible under the rubble," said Henry. ![]()
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