Devastating Earthquake Strikes Haiti

Haiti's worst quake in two centuries hit south of the capital Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, wrecking the presidential palace among other buildings.  The tremor hit at 1653 (2153 GMT) on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said. The quake, which struck about 15km (10 miles) south-west of Port-au-Prince, was quickly followed by two strong aftershocks of 5.9 and 5.5 magnitude. Many people have spent the night outside amid fears of more aftershocks.  The Red Cross says up to three million people have been affected.  Describing the earthquake as a "catastrophe", Haiti's envoy to the US said the cost of the damage could run into billions.  A number of nations, including the US, UK and Venezuela, are gearing up to send aid.

 

My friend and colleague, Scott Nelson has been working as a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon at the CURE hosptial in the Dominican Republic for the past five years.  During that period, he has also found the time to make 19 trips to Haiti to provide orthopaedic care.  In February of last year, I had the opportunity to join him for a week at the Hopital Universitaire Justinien in Cap-Haitien, approximately 80 miles north of Port au Prince.  It was a incredible experience on many levels, one that I won't soon forget. You can view more images from the trip which hopefully convey a sense of the events that occurred that week and the impact they had on my life. 

I briefly saw Scott on the national news last night as he awaited a flight out of Santa Domingo to Haiti so I know he's trying to make his way over there.  We will closely follow his progress and try to lend a hand to facilitate his efforts.