On January 12, 2010 at 4:53 pm, Haiti was struck by a magnitude seven earthquake. I am not sure if you know what that means but we measure Earthquakes on the Richter and Mercalli Earthquake scale. www.Mistupid.com offers a chart and an explanation for that measurement scale, here it is below:
Richter and Mercalli Earthquake Scale
The Richter scale was created in 1935 by the American seismologist Charles F. Richter. It measures how much the ground shakes 60 miles from the earthquakes epicenter. Richter magnitudes increase logarithmically, meaning the energy increases 10 times for each magnitude number.
Mercalli intensity is based upon observations of the resulting earthquake damage and not actually measured on instruments. Invented by Italian seismologist Giuseppe Mercalli.
Richter
Magnitude
| Mercalli
Intensity
| Description
|
2
| I
| Usually not felt, but detected by instruments.
|
II
| Felt by very few people.
|
3
| III
| Felt by many, often mistaken for a passing vehicle.
|
IV
| Felt by many indoors, dishes and doors disturbed.
|
4
| V
| Felt by nearly everyone. People awakened. Cracked walls, trees disturbed.
|
5
| VI
| Felt by all. Many run outdoors. Furniture moves. Slight damage occurs.
|
VII
| Everyone runs outdoors. Poorly built buildings suffer severe damage. Slight damage every where else.
|
6
| VIII
| Everyone runs outdoors. Moderate to major damage. Minor damage to specially designed buildings. Chimneys and walls collapse.
|
7
| IX
| All buildings suffer major damage. Ground cracks, pipes break, foundations shift.
|
X
| Major damage. Structures destroyed. Ground is badly cracked. Landslides occur.
|
8
| XI
| Almost all structures fall. Bridges wrecked. Very wide cracks in ground.
|
XII
| Total destruction. Ground surface waves seen. Objects thrown into the air. All construction destroyed.
|
100,00 people have been pronounced dead so far, and the search continues. President Obama has been and is continuously making effort to RUSH AID, and troops to Haiti.
He wants to dedicate the first 72 hours to saving lives. I am just so devastated about this that I think even I expect too much from the world, I wish that I could travel. I wish other countries besides United States and Venezuela would assist. I am not satisfied with the effort. Some people think I should be. I know we are doing the best job that we can, but I just wish we could do more.
I am proud to say that there are some people that are dedicated to helping. Wyclef Jean the Haitian-American multi-platinum musician, rapper, and record producer has flown to Haiti through the Dominican Republic, as there are no direct flights at this time. He urges everyone to PLEASE help. Here is his statement:
"Haiti today faced a natural disaster of unprecedented proportion, an earthquake unlike anything the country has ever experienced. The magnitude 7.0 earthquake-and several very strong aftershocks -struck only 10 miles from Port-au-Prince. I cannot stress enough what a human disaster this is, and idle hands will only make this tragedy worse. the over 2 million people in Port-au-Prince tonight face catastrophe alone. We must act now. President Obama has already said that the U.S. stands 'ready to assist' the Haitian people. the U.S. Military is the only group trained and prepared to offer that assistance immediately. They must do so as soon as possible.The international community must also rise to the occasion and help the Haitian people in every way possible."
So many nonprofit organizations have setup text messaging donations to make it convenient for all of us. Wyclef formed the Yle Foundation to assist in community service efforts in Haiti in the wake of Hurricane Jeanne in 2004. The Yle Foundation is accepting donations toward Haitian relief efforts. To donate $5 to Yle’s efforts, you can text the word “Yele” to 501501.
To donate $5onbehalf of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), text the word “Haiti” to 25383.
To donate $10on behalf ofthe Red Cross, text the word “Haiti” to 90999.
To donate $10 on behalf of the William J. Clinton Foundation, text the word “Haiti” to 20222.
PEOPLE, PEOPLE, PEOPLE... Let's please not forget about Haiti.
Here is a link to a video done by United Press International with people's remarks about the earthquake, I also made a comment. Check it out: CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO