Haiti: Survivor freed after a week as aftershock leaves Haitians panic-stricken

Published on Wednesday 20 January 2010 21:35

ANOTHER earthquake hit Haiti yesterday, spreading panic among survivors and further hampering already chaotic attempts to get aid to the hungry and homeless.

• Indian FPU Officer in conjunction with Brazilian UN peacekeepers secures the perimeter of a bank. Picture: Getty

The 6.1-magnitude tremor struck at about 6am local time, 35 miles north-west of capital Port-au-Prince. It was the largest of about 30 aftershocks to have struck the country since the original quake last Tuesday.

Wails of terror rose from frightened survivors as people poured out of unstable buildings during yesterday's tremor.

"It felt really strong. Each aftershock is frightening. We feel panic because, after last Tuesday, you never know how strong it is going to be," said Lenis Batiste, as he sat camped out on some grass with two children.

Many Port-au-Prince residents have spent the past week sleeping outdoors, either because their homes were destroyed or because they fear more aftershocks. That may have prevented more deaths during yesterday's tremor.

Last week's quake killed an estimated 200,000 people, injured 250,000 and made 1.5 million homeless. A massive international aid effort is struggling against severe logistical problems.

Brian Baptie, of the Edinburgh-based British Geological Survey, said the aftershock would have caused further structural damage to buildings. "It's the largest of the aftershocks so far, but there are likely to be more over the next two or three weeks," he said.

Search-and-rescue teams have had some success stories – including the rescue of a 69-year-old woman who prayed constantly during a week under the rubble.

Ena Zizi had been at a church meeting at the residence of Haiti's Roman Catholic archbishop when last week's quake struck, trapping her in debris. Yesterday, she was freed by a Mexican rescue team.

Mrs Zizi said that, after the quake, she spoke with a vicar who also was trapped. But after a few days, he fell silent, and she spent the rest of the time praying and waiting. "I talked only to my boss, God," she said. "And I didn't need any more humans."

Doctors said she was dehydrated and had a dislocated hip and a broken leg. "I'm all right, sort of," she said.

Her son, Maxime Janvier, said he never gave up hope she would be found. "We were praying a lot for that to happen," he said.

Elsewhere in the capital, two women were pulled from the ruins of a university building. And near midnight, a smiling and singing 26-year-old Hotteline Lozama was carried to safety from a collapsed shop in the Petionville area by French aid group Rescuers Without Borders.

Close to 100 people have been pulled from wrecked buildings by international search-and-rescue teams since last Tuesday, but experts say the chances of finding more survivors are slim.

Instead, aid agencies continued to place greater importance on getting food to those left destitute by the quake.

The Disasters Emergency Committee's Haiti appeal has so far raised 31.5 million in the UK, it was announced yesterday, with Scots donating more than 3m.

Douglas Hamilton, of Save the Children, said: "We continue to be stunned by the generosity of the Scottish public.

"As the full scale of the tragedy continues to unfold, we rely on the generosity of donors.

"There is still a huge amount of work to be done. However, vital aid is starting to get through in larger quantities, with some hospitals and clinics starting to receive life-saving medical supplies, food and water."

The money raised will help pay for food, temporary shelters and household essentials.

United Nations worker Frederick Wooldridge, 41, from Kent, was the first Briton confirmed dead, while another British UN worker, Ann Barnes, 59, originally from Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, is missing.

Her partner, Bruno, a Frenchman, was yesterday said to be "clawing away on his hands and knees" alongside rescuers in the hope of finding her.

Ms Barnes' cousin, Christine Hart, 69, of Hornchurch, Essex, said: "He hasn't left the site. He only went home to see what had happened to their house. It was gone, but he got their dog."

She added: "They have been together for several years and he absolutely idolises her. He's said he will not leave until they get her."

The World Food Programme said 250,000 ready-to-eat food rations had been distributed in Haiti, but that meant they had reached only a fraction of the three million people thought to be in desperate need.

It said it needed to deliver 100 million rations over the next 30 days. Based on pledges from the United States, Italy and Denmark, it has 16 million in the pipeline.

Hanging over the entire relief effort was an overwhelming fear among relief officials that Haitians' desperation would boil over into violence.

"We're very concerned about the level of security we need around our people when we're doing distributions," said Graham Tardif, who is in charge of disaster relief efforts for the charity World Vision.

International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said the British search-and-rescue team was unharmed by yesterday's aftershock.

"The word that I have received is that our search-and-rescue team is safe and are continuing their work," he said.

His department said UK rescue teams had reached Petit Goave – the village at the epicentre of the latest tremor. There were no reports of additional casualties as a result of the aftershock.

The government announced that the UK was sending a Royal Fleet Auxiliary supply ship loaded with aid to Haiti to help the relief operation.

RFA Largs Bay – which is due to sail before the end of the month – is expected to help the UN ferry bulk supplies around the stricken country.

MUSICAL SUPPORT

SOME of the music world's top stars have signed up for the Hope for Haiti telethon to be broadcast worldwide tomorrow.

Bono, Bruce Springsteen, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Coldplay and Sting are among the performers, according to a spokesman for organisers MTV.

Hope For Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief will be an international event. Haiti-born Wyclef Jean will anchor the show from New York, while George Clooney will present from Los Angeles.

Jay-Z will perform in London alongside Bono, The Edge and Rihanna.

In New York, Bruce Springsteen will perform, along with Jennifer Hudson, Mary J Blige, Shakira and Sting. In Los Angeles, Urban, Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow plan a collaboration. Also performing in Los Angeles are Timberlake, Dave Matthews, John Legend, and Stevie Wonder.

Related articles:

Haiti: PM urges improved aid for natural disasters