Thread: Earthquake hits Haiti - mag 7.0!

7.0 magnitude Earthqquike has hit Haiti.
Hospital collapsed
Tsunami Warnings for Cuba, Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas

Ther Freedom of the Seas was to have called at Labadee today, with a scheduled departure time around the time the quake hit

I believe Labadee is near Cap-Hatien. The quake epicenter was near the Capital of Port=ai-Prince.

Here is an excertt form an article that talks about the quakek being felt in Cap-Hatien:

Luke Renner, an American staying in Cap-Hatien, a city nearly 100 miles north of Port-au-Prince, said he was sitting at his home when "the whole world started to shake."
"It felt like our whole house was balancing on a beach ball," Renner said. "We heard the whole community screaming and in an uproar during that whole 20- to 30-second window."
"I haven't seen any structural damage here," Renner continued. "With the sun setting it may be difficult to tell. In the morning we'll know for sure."The disaster is the latest to befall Haiti, which has a population of about 9 million people and is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

The USGS downgraded the magnitude to 7.0

There have been multiple aftershocks, some as great as 5.5 and 5.9

As recent as 30 minutes ago, the aftershocks were continuing

Camage is said to be catistrophic in and around Port-au-Prince, but much lighter at Cap-Hatien, which is ar=bout 100 miles away from the capital

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - A powerful earthquake hit the impoverished country of Haiti on Tuesday, collapsing the presidential palace and numerous other critical government buildings and raising fears of substantial casualties in what a witness called “a major, major disaster.”

The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.0 and was centered about 10 miles west of the capital, Port-au-Prince, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was followed by at least eight powerful aftershocks of magnitude 5.0 or greater, the USGS reported.

‘Major disaster’ after quake devastates Haiti - Americas- msnbc.com

The earthquake that plunged Haiti into darkness is another blow to a nation that has seen more than its share of misery.

Endemic instability, murderous dictators, more than 30 coups and a seemingly endless series of hurricanes and other natural disasters have claimed countless souls over Haiti's tumultuous 206-year history, leaving it the Americas' poorest country and utterly dependent on foreign aid.

Haiti quake new blow for country mired in misery - Yahoo! News

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Dazed and injured Haitians sat on darkened streets pleading for help Wednesday and untold numbers were trapped in tons of rubble brought down by the strongest earthquake to hit this poor Caribbean nation in more than 200 years.

Destroyed communications made it impossible to tell the extent of destruction from Tuesday afternoon's 7.0-magnitude tremor — or to estimate the number of dead lying among thousands of collapsed buildings in Haiti's capital of about 2 million people.

Haiti's capital shattered by powerful earthquake - Yahoo! News

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Haitians piled bodies along the devastated streets of their capital Wednesday after the strongest earthquake to hit the poor Caribbean nation in more than 200 years crushed thousands of structures, from schools and shacks to the National Palace and the U.N. peacekeeping headquarters. Untold numbers were still trapped.

The devastation was so complete that it seemed likely the death toll from Tuesday afternoon's magnitude-7.0 quake would run into the thousands. France's foreign minister said the head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission was apparently among the dead.


Quake leaves Haiti ‘worse than a war zone’ - Haiti earthquake- msnbc.com

Its all very informative to read about the horrific earthquake that destroyed Haiti BUT my question is; Do you think its right for RCCL/Celebrity to bring passengers to Labadee now after what happened to the island??? Is it right to have people enjoying the sun, drinks, games etc at a beautiful beach while a few miles away people have gotten their lives ruined???
Of course we could, as we always do, turn a blind eye............

What those ships should do is to bring first aid help to the Island!!!

This is from the Celebrity FB page:

We are extremely saddened to hear of the destruction in Haiti caused by the massive earthquake. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Haiti and their families. Labadee, our private destination, reports no apparent damage. We're eager to take guests and humanitarian assistance asap (we await word from the Haitian gov't on when a return is feasible). Celebrity Solstice is scheduled to visit Labadee Jan. 22.

any updates on this ?