Monday, April 05, 2010
Quake rocks U.S., Mexico
From The Hindu
An earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter Scale rocked large tracts of the Western coast of Mexico and the United States 3:40 p.m. (local time) on Easter Sunday. The quake struck around 62 km from Mexicali, near the U.S.-Mexico border and was felt hundred of km away, throughout southern California.
The death toll, estimated to be two so far, has been relatively low and structural damage limited compared to recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile. According to reports this was due to the quake having a shallow depth of 9.6 km.
The full extent of structural damage remains unknown; most of the destruction appears to be centred around Mexicali, the capital of Mexico's Baja California state, and in the town of Calexico in California.
Alfredo Escobedo, director of emergency services in Baja California, confirmed that one man was killed near Mexicali, near the epicentre of the earthquake when his house collapsed around him.
Earlier quakes in Haiti and Chile had clearly heightened the sense of fear. “One way or another, we have the disasters in Chile and Haiti in the back of our heads. There is a fear that it could happen to us at any moment,” Antonio Fernandez, the manager of Hotel Mexico in Mexicali, was reported as saying in a telephone interview. “It seemed that the earth would never stop shaking, and the aftershocks are constant.”
With power failures affecting most of Baja California and phone lines completely down in areas like Mexicali, agencies said it was impossible to get in touch with many establishments even until late on Sunday night.
Photographs in local media showed roadways cracked in half and officials reported that a number of residents in Mexicali were trapped in their homes. A state of emergency has been declared in Baja California, and teams from Tijuana were reported to be en route to Mexicali Sunday night to aid in rescue efforts. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded several aftershocks, the biggest being 5.1 on the Richter Scale, slightly north of the border U.S.-Mexico border.
Labels: disaster, earthquake, Mexicali, Mexico, Southern California, U.S. Geological Survey
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Préval presses Clinton on Haiti elections
From The Hindu
Haitian President René Préval on Tuesday underscored, in discussions with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the United States must work with Haiti towards elections if the efforts to build it up again after the devastating January 12 earthquake are to succeed.
In a joint statement issued here Ms. Clinton said, “President Préval made the very important point that we must work toward elections to ensure the stability and legitimacy of the Haitian Government”. In a sign that no clear agreement was reached on the time frame or conditions for holding elections Ms. Clinton added that the U.S. would work with the international community to hold elections “as soon as appropriate”.
Haiti has a history of political instability, including dictatorships, coups and revolts and has also suffered the effects of external influence particularly originating from the United States. Since 2004 it has been occupied by the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).
Touching upon the contribution of the U.S. to ongoing relief efforts Ms. Clinton explained that the U.S. alone had already supplied nearly $700 million in assistance, funds contributed from nearly 50 percent of all households in America. Further the major donors conference in New York on March 31st would also likely raise financial commitments towards funding the reconstruction efforts.
President Préval acknowledged the long-term support his country obtained from the U.S.; however he cautioned: “We must work together to ensure… conditions that will allow the recovery of Haiti. And all of these conditions have to be worked upon – not just the immediate short-term needs but we must also work towards the long term [including] good governance…”
Touching on specific challenged in Haiti at this time Mr. Préval said that in the past “everything had been concentrated and focused on the capital”. He, argued that that was where the political and economic elites of the country lived, and the rest of the country was neglected.
“That’s why so many people came… into Port-au-Prince – in the illusory quest for work that did not exist, and that is why there’s so much shoddy construction, which does not comply with standards, and that’s why there were so many casualties”, Mr. Préval said
Returning to a key concern, Mr. Préval said, “But what we must absolutely avoid is that we have a temporary provisional government that does not enjoy legitimacy”. Haiti must have a government that does have political legitimacy, he added.
Haitian President René Préval on Tuesday underscored, in discussions with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the United States must work with Haiti towards elections if the efforts to build it up again after the devastating January 12 earthquake are to succeed.
In a joint statement issued here Ms. Clinton said, “President Préval made the very important point that we must work toward elections to ensure the stability and legitimacy of the Haitian Government”. In a sign that no clear agreement was reached on the time frame or conditions for holding elections Ms. Clinton added that the U.S. would work with the international community to hold elections “as soon as appropriate”.
Haiti has a history of political instability, including dictatorships, coups and revolts and has also suffered the effects of external influence particularly originating from the United States. Since 2004 it has been occupied by the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).
Touching upon the contribution of the U.S. to ongoing relief efforts Ms. Clinton explained that the U.S. alone had already supplied nearly $700 million in assistance, funds contributed from nearly 50 percent of all households in America. Further the major donors conference in New York on March 31st would also likely raise financial commitments towards funding the reconstruction efforts.
President Préval acknowledged the long-term support his country obtained from the U.S.; however he cautioned: “We must work together to ensure… conditions that will allow the recovery of Haiti. And all of these conditions have to be worked upon – not just the immediate short-term needs but we must also work towards the long term [including] good governance…”
Touching on specific challenged in Haiti at this time Mr. Préval said that in the past “everything had been concentrated and focused on the capital”. He, argued that that was where the political and economic elites of the country lived, and the rest of the country was neglected.
“That’s why so many people came… into Port-au-Prince – in the illusory quest for work that did not exist, and that is why there’s so much shoddy construction, which does not comply with standards, and that’s why there were so many casualties”, Mr. Préval said
Returning to a key concern, Mr. Préval said, “But what we must absolutely avoid is that we have a temporary provisional government that does not enjoy legitimacy”. Haiti must have a government that does have political legitimacy, he added.
Labels: earthquake, Haitian President, Hillary Clinton, René Préval, Secretary of State
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Haiti devastated
From The Hindu
Haiti, a small, impoverished Caribbean nation, is slowly coming to terms with the calamitous earthquake of January 12, which measured 7.0 on the Richter scale and was followed by several powerful aftershocks. The toll on human life is estimated at 45,000-50,000 by the Red Cross. With reports of hundreds of bodies piled high outside mortuaries and hospitals, and survivors sleeping among the dead for a fourth successive night, rescue efforts face a big challenge. Most heart-rending is the plight of children, who comprise over 40 per cent of the population of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Haitian President René Préval described the loss of life and the near-total infrastructural damage as “unimaginable,” adding that parliament, the national palace, the tax office, schools, hospitals, and the main prison had collapsed. The damage was heightened by the fact that the quake struck the densely populated area around the capital, comprising nearly three million people in rudimentary slum dwellings that entirely lacked earthquake-resistant construction.
The response of the international community to the terrible humanitarian crisis has been empathetic: the United States has promised $100m, 3,500 troops, and 2,200 marines to help with relief efforts; Britain has pledged £6.15m; France, Spain, and China have joined the effort, sending funds, supplies, and manpower. India must do its part, coming up with a generous assistance package. Yet there are severe problems in reaching aid to the people. While relief efforts are focussed on the immediate tasks of rescuing trapped survivors and providing them with the basics, the post-disaster agenda in the months ahead will be about helping them piece together their shattered lives. The recovery plan must also address the larger challenge of institution-building in one of the most misgoverned and politically volatile nations in the western hemisphere. External, especially U.S., involvement must not exacerbate instability in the coup-laden, dictatorship-prone politics of Haiti. If this troubled nation is to cope better with natural disasters — an imperative given its proximity to the Pacific Ring of Fire -- democracy and responsive governance must take root. Only then will it be possible to lift Haitians out of crippling poverty and rebuild the country’s wrecked infrastructure. In particular, it is vital that future housing construction is in line with best practice in earthquake-proofing -- for example using the lessons on retrofitting structures that came out of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake -- and Haiti’s institutional capacity for disaster response is upgraded.
Haiti, a small, impoverished Caribbean nation, is slowly coming to terms with the calamitous earthquake of January 12, which measured 7.0 on the Richter scale and was followed by several powerful aftershocks. The toll on human life is estimated at 45,000-50,000 by the Red Cross. With reports of hundreds of bodies piled high outside mortuaries and hospitals, and survivors sleeping among the dead for a fourth successive night, rescue efforts face a big challenge. Most heart-rending is the plight of children, who comprise over 40 per cent of the population of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Haitian President René Préval described the loss of life and the near-total infrastructural damage as “unimaginable,” adding that parliament, the national palace, the tax office, schools, hospitals, and the main prison had collapsed. The damage was heightened by the fact that the quake struck the densely populated area around the capital, comprising nearly three million people in rudimentary slum dwellings that entirely lacked earthquake-resistant construction.
The response of the international community to the terrible humanitarian crisis has been empathetic: the United States has promised $100m, 3,500 troops, and 2,200 marines to help with relief efforts; Britain has pledged £6.15m; France, Spain, and China have joined the effort, sending funds, supplies, and manpower. India must do its part, coming up with a generous assistance package. Yet there are severe problems in reaching aid to the people. While relief efforts are focussed on the immediate tasks of rescuing trapped survivors and providing them with the basics, the post-disaster agenda in the months ahead will be about helping them piece together their shattered lives. The recovery plan must also address the larger challenge of institution-building in one of the most misgoverned and politically volatile nations in the western hemisphere. External, especially U.S., involvement must not exacerbate instability in the coup-laden, dictatorship-prone politics of Haiti. If this troubled nation is to cope better with natural disasters — an imperative given its proximity to the Pacific Ring of Fire -- democracy and responsive governance must take root. Only then will it be possible to lift Haitians out of crippling poverty and rebuild the country’s wrecked infrastructure. In particular, it is vital that future housing construction is in line with best practice in earthquake-proofing -- for example using the lessons on retrofitting structures that came out of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake -- and Haiti’s institutional capacity for disaster response is upgraded.
Labels: Caribbean nation, devastation, earthquake, Haiti, Haitian President, humanitarian crisis, Port-au-Prince, René Préval, western hemisphere
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