This is may be the largest UN casualty in its history.

Brazilian peacekeepers check the damage to the UN headquarters in Port-au-Prince Wednesday after Haiti's devastating earthquake. Eleven Brazilian soldiers from a UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti were killed in the quake, Brazil's army said Wednesday.

Eduardo Munoz/REUTERS

At least 15 UN peacekeepers killed in Haiti quake (click here)

January 14, 2010, 2:21pm

BRASILIA, January 13, 2010 (AFP) - The earthquake in Haiti killed at least 15 peacekeepers with the Brazilian-led UN mission there, and Brazil's defense minister was on his way to the Caribbean state to assess the blow, officials said Wednesday.

At least 11 Brazilian soldiers, three Jordanian soldiers and one Argentine gendarme were killed, military officials from the three countries said.

Seven Brazilian soldiers and another Argentine gendarme were missing.

Eight Chinese members of the peacekeeping mission were also buried in building collapses, according to China's State Council. It did not say whether they were believed to be alive or dead.

Brazil has announced it is sending 10 million dollars in immediate disaster aid to Haiti, including 28 tonnes of drinking water and food including sugar, powdered milk and sardines.

Defense Minister Nelson Jobim and army chief General Enzo Martins Peri left from Brasilia on Wednesday for the ravaged Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, military spokesman General Carlos Alberto Barcellos said.

Several of the 1,266 Brazilian soldiers in the peacekeeping force were missing following Tuesday's brutal 7.0-magnitude earthquake that flattened much of Haiti's capital, Barcellos said.

The spokesman stressed that any additional Brazilian fatalities would only be made public once next-of-kin were notified.

The surviving soldiers in the Brazilian contingent were now carrying out disaster relief operations, though were hampered by debris-blocked roads and teetering buildings, he said....

Obama expresses condolences for peacekeeper losses (click here)

The Associated Press
Wednesday, January 13, 2010; 11:11 PM

WASHINGTON -- President Barak Obama has offered his condolences to the U.N. secretary-general and president of Brazil for the loss of U.N. peacekeepers in Haiti's devastating earthquake.

Calls to Ban Ki-moon and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva were among the handful of world leaders and the U.S. ambassador to Haiti that Obama made to discuss search-and-rescue efforts in Haiti.

The U.N. chief, da Silva and the presidents of Mexico and Chile, along with Canada's prime minister described their short- and long-term support to assist in Haiti's recovery.

Obama's attempts to reach Haiti's president, Rene Preval, have not been successful.

Bill Clinton: Haiti Quake Tragedy for Millions, United Nations (ckick here)

Former President, Now a U.N. Special Envoy, Calls on Americans to Donate Cash

By DEVIN DWYER
Jan. 13, 2010

The disaster in Haiti, affecting more than 3 million people, may be one of the most devastating tragedies ever to hit the United Nations, Former President Bill Clinton told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in an interview for “World News.”

The former president weighs in on Afghanistan, health care reform and race.

Clinton, who was appointed the United Nations' special envoy to Haiti in May 2008, said the U.N. itself has been hit hard.

"Our U.N. hotel, as you know, [was] five stories [and] completely collapsed. Today, only 10 people [were] recovered alive," Clinton told Stephanopoulos.

At least 16 U.N. employees, including chief of the U.N. mission in Haiti, Hedi Annabi, have died, with at least 56 more injured, a U.N. spokesman told ABC News.

"It's highly likely to be the highest mortality count we've ever had," Clinton said….

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/HaitiEarthquake/earthquake-haiti-abc-news-george-stephanopoulos-interviews-bill/story?id=9554909

I am moving on. The media is more than sufficient for Haiti coverage.

When the USA sponsors 'private contractors' it is going to have to start drawing the line as to whom can bid and whom cannot. Halliburton is OUT of the government's pocket. They do shoddy work and no nation anywhere requires that kind of exploitation of its people's needs.

It is about value judgements and whom the USA actually trusts, including, banks that cannot discern good judgement from bad. There is nothing "W"rong with government recording of poor performance on past government contractors. They are primarily Republican cronies that take plenty of money to build practically nothing for it. Once the monies are paid out, it is difficult to get it back and then the people of the USA are stuck with doing it all over again.

I don't see that type of practice continuing. The people of Haiti, no different than the people of Afghanistan, need training FIRST to rebuild their country and they need to have 'honest' contractors to work with honest USA companies to get the job done and spawn some economic growth out of this tragedy.

It has to be a new 'era' for Haiti as well as the USA.


I think this article in the L. A. Times is a good place to focus for reconstruction. Years go by quickly and this could happen again.

I think Haiti needs to entertain the thought of moving its capital city and building with quake proof construction. The global economy will have to donate over a period of time, but, this nation will never pull itself out of this 'genocidal' tendency if there aren't commitments made to it. It is the worst time for more strain on donating nations, but, if life is to improve in Haiti and lives saved it is the time to begin.


The media services have been doing a wonderful job. The majors are covering it within its programming, but, the cable services are digging in.


MSNBC has an expository approach.


CNN is 'on the ground' and probably the most revealing coverage of the sincere tragedy of Haitian people at this time. It is dedicated to making a difference with these folks and it carries some of the same tone we saw with Anderson Cooper during Katrina. It is an experienced news team that hopefully has some sense of self-preservation. The sad reality of the corpses lying in the street will soon turn to issues of disease and the insenstive reality that brings.


FOX is absent (Missing in Action, so to speak.) because it is attempting to 'hook' all the Palin book buyers to their network for her political aspirations and their ability to spawn viability in candidates through lies, but, more about that later.

Perhaps all the lucrative Investment Banks can do some consideration donation to Haiti, rather than draconian bonuses to their CEOs.

Tectonics and poor construction conspired to create devastation in Haiti (click title to entry - thank you)

The earthquake was a massive, shallow eruption beneath a heavily populated area that lacked stringent building standards, resulting in catastrophe.

By Cara Mia DiMassa and Alexandra Zavis

January 14, 2010

The catastrophic quake that struck Haiti on Tuesday involved a collision of lethal circumstances: a massive, shallow eruption below a densely populated city with few, if any, building codes.

The magnitude 7.0 quake occurred near the boundary between two major tectonic plates, the Caribbean and North American plates.

Most of the movement along these plates is what is known as left-lateral strike-slip motion, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, with the Caribbean plate moving eastward in relation to the North America plate.

Kate Hutton, a seismologist at Caltech, said the quake was similar to those seen along the San Andreas fault: It was shallow, a fact that enhances the intensity and makes it more localized to the region right along the fault.

"We are not surprised by any of it," Hutton said....

When Helping Haitians, Remember the Afghanistan Food Drop.

For the people that are still well and physically fit, they will become depleted without supplies. They will be outside the perimeter of the worst hit areas. I would begin there and allow them to be confident so they won't become desperate and move from secured and perhaps safe areas.

The people in devastated areas will welcome the relief and it will curb the anarchy.

Good luck. We can do this.

The difference, of course, was 'time' and the fact the people were not suffering through a disaster. But, the quicker the supplies can be distributed the better and if dropping similar packages as those we dropped in Afghanistan will bring about 'viable' populous of people able bodied and willing to help, it will start the recovery quicker.

It might bring about 'quiet' sooner. Less desperation if the people are getting the aid directly and without trying to 'move' to distribution points. There is always a chance of 'black market,' but, without money to begin with there really is little chance of that.




Before we sent retaliation forces into Afghanistan, the people were prepared for our arrival by fliers and food provisions dropped by the USA Air Force. There were small packages along with information as to whom was sending the help to the Afghan people and whom was coming to aid their country.

The trouble with logistics NOW is that it may come too late. If the drops over Haiti could be more wide spread and included 'basic' medical supplies, the people will know what do to with them.

...The containers, called TRIAD for Tri-Wall Air Delivery System, were tied to a static line that tightened and flipped the containers over once they were clear of the aircraft. The 410 food packets in each box then spilled free and dispersed over the drop zone.

"We determined our drop zones taking into account where the people who needed the aid are located, potential threats in the area, and existing wind conditions to maximize accuracy to the best of our ability," Allardice said. "Our goal was to get the aid to the right people, without putting them at undue risk."

Each of the 2,200 calorie ready-to-eat food rations provides an entire day's nutritional requirement for one person. Each packet contains two main vegetarian meals based heavily on lentils, beans and/or rice. It also has complementary items such as bread, a fruit bar, a fortified biscuit, peanut butter and spices.

"One meal provides enough nutrition for an entire day for one person, but needs to be supplemented with liquids," said dietitian Capt. Dana Whelan of the 86th Medical Group here. "The meals are a good source of protein, fortified with vitamins and minerals and are appropriate for someone in a poor state of nutrition....

The Weather in Antarctica (Crystal Ice Chime) is not very cold and the news isn't getting better.

January 12, 2010
1028 gmt
Antarctica Satellite

There are many heat transfer systems still at work in the Southern Hemisphere. I can see at least six major ones on this image. On the face of a clock, 12 o'clock, 2, 4, 6:30, 8 and 10 o'clock.


Is Antarctica Melting? (click title to entry - thank you)

...Rignot's paper surprised many people. JPL scientist Ron Kwok saw it as demonstrating that "the old idea that glaciers move really slowly isn't true any more." One result was that a lot more people started to use the radar data to examine much more of Antarctica. A major review published in 2009 found that Rignot's Pine Island Glacier finding hadn't been a fluke ⁷: a large majority of the marine glaciers of the Antarctic Peninsula were retreating, and their retreat was speeding up. This summer, a British group revisited the Pine Island Glacier finding and found that its rate of retreat had quadrupled between 1995 and 2006 ⁸....




The Coldest Reporting Station

Vostok, Antarctica

Local Time: 6:36 AM VOST (GMT +06)

Lat/Lon: 78.4° S 106.9° E

Elevation :: 11220 feet

Temperature :: -30 F

Humidity :: 38%

Dew Point :: -40 F

Wind :: 9 mph from the WSW

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: inches (Rising)

Visibility :: 12.0 miles

The Warmest Reporting Station

Base San Martin, Antarctica

Local Time: 12:46 AM GMT (GMT +00)

Lat/Lon: 68.1° S 67.1° W

Elevation :: 13 Feet

Temperature :: 40 F

Conditions :: Overcast

Humidity :: 64%

Dew Point :: 32 F

Wind :: Calm

Wind Gust :: -

Pressure :: 29.62. inches (Rising)

Visibility :: 12.0 miles

UV :: 0 out of 16

Clouds :: Overcast 1476 ft

(Above Ground Level)

It's terrible. There is every reason to believe the infrastructure is desimated in Haiti. Large measures will be needed swiftly for any survivers.

The Caribbean Plate and North American Plate meet at this juncture. The slippage being seen along the North American plate that caused the earthquakes in California and Mexico is the SAME movement as this disaster. There was some movement last year I believe that hit Guatemala. But, I have to check on that to be sure.

There was no predicting this. All the significant seismic activity following the California earthquake was along the Solomon Islands. (click here) This is a sudden and undetected movement.

Strong earthquake hits Guatemala

May 4th, 2009 - 7:53 am ICT by IANS (click here)

Guatemala City, May 4 (DPA) A strong earthquake rattled Guatemala Sunday, with a magnitude of 6.1 on the Richter scale, but there were no reports of injuries or damage.
The earthquake struck at a depth of 104 km and took place about 68 km west of Guatemala City, the US Geological Survey reported.

The tremors lasted about 20 seconds and were felt across the Central American country, according to the National Seismological Institute inGuatemala City, which also said this was the strongest earthquake of the year.

• Strong earthquake jolts Offshore Chiapas, Mexico - Oct 17, 2008
• Earthquake hits Aleutian Islands in US: US Geological Survey (Lead) - Oct 14, 2009
• Honduras quake prompts tsunami alert - May 28, 2009
• Earthquake Shakes Panama - Jul 04, 2009
• Strong earthquake rocks Jakarta - Oct 16, 2009
• Strong earthquake hits off Panama; no casualties reported - Jul 04, 2009
• Strong quakes strike in Indian Ocean, Japan (Second Lead) - Aug 11, 2009
• Major earthquake 7.6 on the Richter scale strikes Indonesia - Sep 30, 2009
• Series of earthquakes strike off Baja California, Mexico - Aug 04, 2009
• Bangladesh faces high earthquake risk, warn experts - Aug 12, 2009

There are fears thousands of people are buried under the rubble. (Reuters)

9 Aussies safe in Haiti, others still missing (click here)

Posted 1 hour 32 minutes ago (Time now 4:53 EST on Jan. 13, 2010)
Updated 1 hour 1 minute ago

Federal Government officials are trying to locate a small number of Australians believed to be in the vicinity of the devastating Haiti earthquake.

There are fears thousands of people are buried under rubble following the 7.0-magnitude quake near the capital Port-au-Prince.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) says nine Australians in the affected zone have been located safe and sound.

It will not say, however, how many others are still unaccounted for....

This is what the Presidential Palace used to look like. The entire structure above the first floor is collapsed. The survivors in that building will be minimal, even on the lower floors. A lot of debris will have shifted to the lower structures and the weight may be too great for it to continue to stand.

Fierce Quake Devastates Haitian Capital (click title and here - thank you)

Amateurs stay home. There should be limited access to the small island for now.

There will be time when the area is secured to respond by NGOs. The land, government and nutritional infrastructure is too depleted and unstable for volunteers to be attending to the people. This needs widespread support from global governments no different than the countries of the Christmas Tsunamis. The ability to respond to emergencies is going to be limited until major construction equipment can be delivered and move debris, clear and make roads and provide methods of movement to shelters, food and water sources and temporary medical facilities.

Attempting to help beyond what the Haitian and other government authorities allow could mean additional casualties and my prohibit organized rescue efforts otherwise. Please don't go beyond the ability of aiding governments to help the survivors. Watercraft responding should remain well offshore and do as instructed by any responding naval vessels. Thank you.

I am quite confident the Haitian people are simply terrified with aftershocks and the inability to access in any reasonable way to their country's emergency. Please be extremely cautious and 'think through' personal peril and the best way to help. Thank you.

Haiti: Presidential palace and hospital among buildings hit (click here)

By David Usborne, US Editor

Wednesday, 13 January 2010

A devastating earthquake struck the impoverished Caribbean nation of Haiti last night, causing what first reports said was widespread damage in the densely populated capital of Port-au-Prince with one hospital among numerous buildings said to have collapsed.

Part of the national palace, which is home to Haiti's first family, had also collapsed. Information on the precise extent of casualties remained sketchy as evening became night across the country. However, early reports suggested the numbers hurt and killed could turn out to be very significant.

The earthquake, which was followed quickly by severe aftershocks, measured 7.0 on the Richter scale. Its power and scope to cause grave damage may have been exacerbated because it occurred just ten miles from the capital and was only about six miles deep, which geologically speaking is shallow...

A 7.0 Earthquake in Haiti. The population according to CNN is hit hard. The buildings aren't like the US. A lot of damage and potential deaths.

M 7.0 - HAITI REGION

Alert Version: 2
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 at 21:53:09 UTC
Location: 18.5° N, 72.4° W
Depth: 10km
Event Id: US2010RJA6
Created: 1 hour, 42 minutes after earthquake.

This is a population impact map. (click title to entry - thank you) Sorry to all those with family in Haiti. That poor country is hit with so much natural disaster. They just don't get a break. This could be one of the most devastating events in Haiti since any major hurricane. Very well could be more infrastructure damage than hurricane force winds. The buildings are not up to any substantial code. The epicenter appears to be at populated areas.

Full City Exposure List (click here)

Alert Version: 2
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 at 21:53:09 UTC
Location: 18.5° N, 72.4° W
Depth: 10km
Event Id: US2010RJA6
Created: 1 hour, 42 minutes after earthquake.

Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though some resistant structures exist. On June 24, 1984 (UTC), a magnitude 6.7 earthquake 329 km East of this one struck the Dominican Republic, with estimated population exposures of 320,000 at intensity VII and 2,964,000 at intensity VI, resulting in an estimated 5 fatalities. Recent earthquakes in this area have caused landslides that may have contributed to losses.