Haiti Earthquake: PAHO Situation Report No.1

According to Haiti’s Civil Protection agency (DGPC), at least 304 people died and 1,800 people were wounded, along with heavy damages to homes, trapped victims, chaos and overwhelmed hospitals in three departments (Grand’Anse, Nippes, and Sud). • In Petit Trou de Nippes, the epicenter of the quake, phonelines are down and no news emerged immediately from that city. (Nytimes) • 5 departments inhabited by approximately 2.17 million people recorded intensities between 6 – 9 degrees on the Modified Mercalli Scale (MMI). • Damages are reported in 11 communes of the Nippes department. At least 899 houses are destroyed and 723 damaged, according to initial assessments. Many public buildings (hospitals, schools, hotels, churches, etc.) suffered damage or collapsed in the departments of Sud and Grand'Anse.