UPDATE: Death toll now placed at 724 people via Haiti’s Civil Defense officials. Tropical Storm Grace is moving toward Haiti and expected to dump heavy rainfall late Monday or early Tuesday, hampering rescue efforts.
ASSOCIATED PRESS – WBAP/KLIF – The death count fast climbed to at least 304 people known killed, hundreds more injured, as declared by Haiti’s Civil officials Saturday. The island, hit with a violent and devastating magnitude 7 point 2 Richter scale quake on Saturday, leveling many villages entirely and leaving many victims calling for help from beneath piles of debris.
The White House says it has dispatched orders to aid Haiti. A statement from President Biden at the White House reads, “In what is already a challenging time for the people of Haiti, I am saddened by the devastating earthquake that occurred in Saint-Louis du Sud, Haiti this morning. We send our deepest condolences to all those who lost a loved one or saw their homes and businesses destroyed. I have authorized an immediate US response and named USAID Administrator Samantha Power as the senior US official to coordinate this effort.
Through USAID, we are supporting efforts to assess the damage and assist efforts to recover those who were injured and those who must now rebuild. The United States remains a close and enduring friend to the people of Haiti, and we will be there in the aftermath of this tragedy.”
The relief group Samaritan’s Purse is flying into Haiti on Sunday with some supplies and water purification systems; damages are still being assessed in many areas of the country where roads and electricity is out, curtailing Internet communications.
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