(http://gtalumni.org/Publications/techtopics/win99/images/earthquake.jpg)
Horribe news in the most impoverished nation in the hemisphere... GOOGLE.COM - EARTHQUAKE IN HAITI!!!!!! WAS FELT IN JAMACIA!!! 7.0 Magnitude!!! http://goo.gl/JQ5w http://goo.gl/gc7N
http://tickerforum.org/cgi-ticker/akcs-www?post=124419QuoteBy JOSé DE CóRDOBA and DAVID LUHNOW
A powerful earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale shook Haiti on Tuesday, causing several buildings to collapse in the Western hemisphere's poorest nation and leading to an unknown number of fatalities, officials and witnesses said.
The earthquake was centered just 10 miles southwest of the crowded and impoverished capital of Port-au-Prince. Making matters worse, the earthquake was relatively shallow at a depth of five miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Shallow earthquakes can cause more damage.
"I think it's really a catastrophe of major proportions," Haiti's ambassador to the U.S., Raymond Alcide Joseph, told CNN.
Raphaelle Chenet, the administrator of Mercy and Sharing, a charity that takes care of 109 orphans, said she saw about ten dead bodies in the street after the quake struck.
"I saw dead bodies, people are screaming, they are on the street panicking, people are hurt," she told The Wall Street Journal. "There are a lot of wounded, broken heads, broken arms."
In Port-au-Prince, many houses built on steep ravines have collapsed, Ms. Chenet said. She said from her house she had heard a couple of explosions, which she believed to be gas explosions. The orphans in the two institutions run by Mercy and Sharing weren't hurt, although an orphanage worker suffered a broken leg, she said.
President Barack Obama said his thoughts and prayers were with the people of Haiti, and U.S. officials said they would consider immediate humanitarian aid.
An Associated Press videographer saw the collapsed wreckage of a hospital in Petionville, near Port-au-Prince. Reuters news agency cited a witness saying several buildings had crumbled in the capital and that there were dead and injured trapped in the rubble.
At least 1.8 million people live within the area where the earthquake had its highest intensity, John Bellini, a geophysicist at the USGS, told The Wall Street Journal. "With a strong and shallow earthquake like this in such a populated area, it could really cause substantial damage," he said.
The quake was the most powerful to hit Haiti since at least 1770, according to USGS records, Mr. Bellini added. "This isn't normally an earthquake-prone area," he said.
Within minutes of the original tremor, two aftershocks rolled through the area, measuring 5.9 and 5.5 on the Richter scale.
Eight in ten Haitians live in poverty, according to the CIA World Factbook. The Caribbean nation was hit hard by a series of hurricanes in the past few years, adding to the country's misery.
Rep. Eliot Engel (D., N.Y.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Western Hemisphere subcommittee, said: "This is the worst possible time for a natural disaster in Haiti, a country which is still recovering from the devastating storms of just over a year ago."
Write to José de Córdoba at jose.decordoba@wsj.com and David Luhnow at david.luhnow@wsj.com
MetroJacksonville extends our hopes and prayers go out to our Haitian brothers and sisters, if any of you would like to help here are a couple of places to start:
http://www.directrelief.org/EmergencyResponse/2010/EarthquakeHaiti.aspx?gclid=CNvYkISaoJ8CFRaenAodryXDJQ
http://donate.worldvision.org/OA_HTML/xxwv2ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?item=1328102&cmp=KNC-113655119§ion=&go=item&xxwvCampaign=113655119OCKLAWAHA
QuoteJanuary 12, 2010
Massive earthquake in Hati
Many Casualties
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti â€" The largest earthquake ever recorded in the area rocked Haiti on Tuesday, collapsing a hospital where people screamed for help and damaging other buildings. An aid official described "total disaster and chaos."
Communications were widely disrupted, making it impossible to get a clear picture of damage as powerful aftershocks shook a desperately poor country where many buildings are flimsy. Electricity was out in some places.
Karel Zelenka, a Catholic Relief Services representative in the capital of Port-au-Prince, told U.S. colleagues before phone service failed that "there must be thousands of people dead," according to a spokeswoman for the aid group, Sara Fajardo.
"He reported that it was just total disaster and chaos, that there were clouds of dust surrounding Port-au-Prince," Fajardo said from the group's offices in Maryland.
The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 and was centered about 10 miles (15 kilometers) west of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It had a depth of 5 miles (8 kilometers). It was the largest quake recorded in the area and the first major one since a magnitude-6.7 temblor in 1984, USGS analyst Dale Grant said.
OCKLAWAHA
I hate earthquakes,especially in middle of night on cold day.
Sad. Our prayers for these poor people. Add to the disasters below their disastrous political leadership. How lucky we are, with all the warts we have, to live as we do where we do.
P.S. Ock, you may wish to fix the county's spelling in your subject banner for this thread. "Haiti", not "Hati".
P.S.S. If this could happen in Haiti, is Florida immune from such an incident?Quote(CNN)...Because of the earthquake's proximity to the capital, and because the city is densely populated and has poorly constructed housing, "it could cause significant casualties," said Jian Lin, a senior geologist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts.
Haiti's government is backed by a U.N. peacekeeping mission established after the ouster of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004. Efforts to contact the U.N. mission were unsuccessful Tuesday evening, but former President Clinton -- now the U.N. special envoy for Haiti -- said the world body was "committed to do whatever we can to assist the people of Haiti in their relief, rebuilding and recovery efforts."
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. Hurricane Gordon killed more than 1,000 people in 1994, while Hurricane Georges killed more than 400 and destroyed the majority of the country's crops in 1998.
In 2004, heavy rains from Hurricane Jeanne -- which passed north of the country -- caused landslides and flooding that killed more than 3,000 people, mostly in the northwestern city of Gonaives. Gonaives was hit heavily again in 2008, when four tropical systems passed through.
A tsunami watch for Haiti, the Dominican Republic and parts of Cuba following the earthquake has been canceled, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
Eighty percent of Haiti's population lives under the poverty line, according to the CIA World Factbook.
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/12/haiti.earthquake/?imw=Y
(http://inlinethumb39.webshots.com/8550/2653144310104969885S600x600Q85.jpg)
First Photo, Via Twitter Pix, http://jacksonvilletransit.blogspot.com/http://www.youtube.com/v/iESmmPeHRiU&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca
http://www.youtube.com/v/Ca1eW4jXox8&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca
(http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/dyfi/events/us/2010rkag/us/us2010rkag_ciim.jpg)
Quote2010 January 13 01:05:49 UTC
Versión en Español
* Details
* Summary
* Maps
* Scientific & Technical
Earthquake Details
Magnitude 4.6
Date-Time
* Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 01:05:49 UTC
* Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 08:05:49 PM at epicenter
* Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 18.537°N, 72.666°W
Depth 10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program
Region HAITI REGION
Distances 35 km (20 miles) W of PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti
120 km (75 miles) ENE of Les Cayes, Haiti
145 km (90 miles) SSW of Cap-Haitien, Haiti
1110 km (690 miles) SE of Miami, Florida
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 9.2 km (5.7 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters NST= 29, Nph= 29, Dmin=153.5 km, Rmss=1.41 sec, Gp= 83°,
M-type=body wave magnitude (Mb), Version=7
Source
* USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID us2010rkag
* This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.
* Did you feel it? Report shaking and damage at your location. You can also view a map displaying accumulated data from your report and others.
Earthquake Summary
Small globe showing earthquakeSmall map showing earthquake
Earthquake Information for Caribbean
Earthquake Maps
* Earthquake Location
Earthquake Location
* Earthquake Location Maps
Location Maps
* Did You Feel It?
Did You Feel It? Tell Us
* Historical Seismicity
Historical Seismicity
* Seismic Hazard Map
Seismic Hazard Map
* EQ Density Map
EQ Density Map
* Google Map
Google Map
* Google Earth KML
Google Earth KML
(Requires Google Earth)
Scientific & Technical Information
* Historic Moment Tensor Solutions
* Phase Data
* Theoretical P-Wave Travel Times
* Preliminary Earthquake Report
* U.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center:
World Data Center for Seismology, Denver
OCKLAWAHA
QuoteJanuary 12, 2010
Earthquakes common in Caribbean
(http://weblogs.marylandweather.com/290_20.gif)
This evening's devastating 7.0 earthquake in Haiti has been followed by a series of large aftershocks measuring more than 5.0 on the Richter scale. It was also preceded by smaller quakes (2.9 to 3.4) in Puerto Rico, across the Mona Passage from the island Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic.
Although it is not as familiar as the Pacific's seismically and volcanically active "Ring of Fire," the Caribbean Islands also lie on an active fault system. Earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis are all facts of life in the islands, past and present.
The much-visited port of Charlotte Amalie, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, was the scene of a devastating tsunami in 1867 that sent a 20-foot wall of water surging in to the harbor. Large U.S. Naval ships were beached by the waves. Other Caribbean ports also felt the tsunami.
Another large quake (magnitude 7.5) in October 1918 struck Puerto Rico. It killed more than 100 people, caused widespread damage, and sent a tsunami as high as 20 feet ashore.
An earthquake in Jamaica in 1692 destroyed the port city of Kingston, and dropped it into the sea. More than 5,000 people died. Jamaicans felt the Tuesday evening quake in Haiti, too.
The most famous volcanic event in the Caribbean was the 1902 eruption of Mt. Pele, on theMonserrat ash flow French island of Martinique. Now regarded as the deadliest volcanic eruprtion of the 20th century, it killed nearly all 30,000 residents of the capital, Saint-Pierre.
One of the two survivors lived because he was in a poorly ventilated jail cell.
On the island of Monserrat (right), the Soufriere Hills volcano has been in some state of eruption since 1995, when it destroyed the capital town of Plymouth. Two-thirds of the island's population was forced to leave.
http://weblogs.marylandweather.com/2010/01/earthquakes_common_in_caribbea.html
Quote from: stjr on January 12, 2010, 08:48:40 PM
P.S. Ock, you may wish to fix the county's spelling in your subject banner for this thread. "Haiti", not "Hati".
P.S.S. If this could happen in Haiti, is Florida immune from such an incident?
PS? Nice catch stjr, guess I was copying from the Twitter which was spelling it that way! Oh well, bad spelirs luv kompanie. LOL
PSS? Absolutely NOT! One of the more serious quakes in the east coasts recorded history was centered in Charleston on a fault that runs roughly North - South, from Charleston to the north edge of Jacksonville... And that is just the part we know of. In 1884(?) it nearly leveled Charleston, and dumped shelves, books, cleared cupboards, broke windows and set the window-weights swinging within the walls scaring EVERYBODY to death IN JACKSONVILLE!
Perhaps the second largest quake on the East Coast was centered at what they THINK is the St. Augustine Fault, which runs from mid St. Johns County (?) northeast through St. Augustine and out to sea. The Spanish Government said it moved about 200 years ago, and knocked down coquina buildings throughout the town.
All can be seen in the National Earthquake Site.
OCKLAWAHA
This just hasn't been their century so far. 2004 with then Tropical Storm Jeanne, 2008 with Fay, Gustav, Hanna, and Ike, and now this massive earthquake.
God hates poor and weak,awards wealthy and strong.
Bos - Even in death and bad times, you still find ways to be callous. How un-inspiring....
Show a bit of compassion and sympathy, these are human beings for goodness sake.
He's a troll with nothing else better to do, what do you expect?
Quote from: mtraininjax on January 12, 2010, 11:16:21 PM
Bos - Even in death and bad times, you still find ways to be callous. How un-inspiring....
Show a bit of compassion and sympathy, these are human beings for goodness sake.
What?
I said those poor people get screwed all the time,from hurricanes to diseases to earthquakes to poverty.
Which part is confusing you?
And listen to yourselves,people who support wars all over world where innocent die on regular basis,talk about being human.
By the way,I have been in earthquakes,war and being refugee....I know very well what these people are going thru.
(http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01558/haiti-before-after_1558066i.jpg)
Quote from: Bostech on January 12, 2010, 11:21:32 PM
And listen to yourselves,people who support wars all over world where innocent die on regular basis,talk about being human.
By the way,I have been in earthquakes,war and being refugee....I know very well what these people are going thru.
Can you point to where I said I supported the war?
Also, how are we supposed to believe you, when you post mindless dribble all the time?
Believe me what?
The paper this morning had it right. I forget the actual words but it went this way. There is no standard building code in Haiti. Many buildings are unsafe on a good day.
In the Haiti pictures, I see concrete buildings with no discernable reinforcing. Of course they fell down. Just like unreinforced masonry buildings will fall down if shaken. Like the marina district in San Francisco. One of the bad things with old buildings. They are built for graviety loads. Shake them side to side and they fail.
Can it happen in Florida? Sure we have earthquakes too. But our building codes are a little better. Jacksonville is not specifically in a seismic zone. Savannah on the other hand is in a seismic zone and its soils become somewhat plastic on a normal day. The problem here is that a shake will cause soils to move and become "plasticâ€, or more liquid, and not support shallow foundations. The building then settles and falls apart.
Death toll expected to be well over 100,000.
Absolutely awful.
Quote from: KenFSU on January 13, 2010, 01:07:47 PM
Death toll expected to be well over 100,000.
Absolutely awful.
Such a shame, but not surprising. When you have piss poor leadership for decades that don't really care about the people of the country, and this is what can happen. That and added with last decades several tropical systems, and this country has easily been set back over 50 years. However, that isn;t really saying much, this is Haiti afterall.
This may sound bad, but hopefully this is the wake up call to Haiti that they need to change or they're good as gone as a nation.
Bos was just being his usual, sarcastic self. Ignore the bad behavior, reward the good behavior. Unless it's your kid then you smack them when they're bad! ;D
A work colleague was in Haiti for a meeting yesterday....we believe he was staying at a hotel that collapsed and no one has heard from him yet.
Several sites have been set up for finding folks...including this one
CNN link: http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=381628
It's a valiant effort that all on Earth are pledging to do, and are doing for Haiti, and rightfully so; in another thread we were talking about how to get rid of homelessness. The U.S. has pledged to help in a more than huge way for the Haitians, and again, rightfully so. But what angers me is that we hunch our shoulders over homelessness like we don't have a clue as to how to solve it, but yet, we give billions and trillions to foreign countries, and again, not banging Haiti, they need the help believe me, but if we were as valiant and liberal with the money in helping our own people here in America, whether its the homeless or someone wanting to start a business, our country would be much much better off.
"HU"
So odd that we're responding to this many days faster than Bush did to Katrina. Just sayin'.
Quote from: reednavy on January 13, 2010, 06:27:20 PM
So odd that we're responding to this many days faster than Bush did to Katrina. Just sayin'.
Yep; we can band together and find the money for Indonesia, Haiti, Bangladesh, Somalia, and I could go on and on; but finding money to build shelters to attack the problems that causes homelessness for those that want out of that situation is too hard for our government (powers that be).
"HU"
Quote from: heights unknown on January 13, 2010, 06:22:13 PM
It's a valiant effort that all on Earth are pledging to do, and are doing for Haiti, and rightfully so; in another thread we were talking about how to get rid of homelessness. The U.S. has pledged to help in a more than huge way for the Haitians, and again, rightfully so. But what angers me is that we hunch our shoulders over homelessness like we don't have a clue as to how to solve it, but yet, we give billions and trillions to foreign countries, and again, not banging Haiti, they need the help believe me, but if we were as valiant and liberal with the money in helping our own people here in America, whether its the homeless or someone wanting to start a business, our country would be much much better off.
"HU"
I think it is the perception that many homeless in the US do it to themselves and basically seek being homeless through thier own choices, where Hatians (in this case) did not have a choice. The Earthquake happened to them, they did not do it to themselves.
Also, there is a dire situation over there where hundreds of thousands (possibly millions if not mitigated or helped) will loose thier lives in the coming days if a spectacular effort is not given to help these people.
I feel much better about sending money to feed and house children, mothers and families than I do funding the rehabilitation of an alcohol or drug user. I understand they need help and are in most cases good people who just need a helping hand, but in natural disasters, I feel more of an urge to help the helpless.
There were many homeless in New Orleans that most folks would not pay any attention to during the good times, but during the emergency efort (when it finally arrived), I think mostor all Americans felt a need to lend a helping hand to the people of that city regardless of social or housing status.
Fox News commentator-"Only good thing about all this (Haiti earthquake) is that United States exists".
Weird statement? What do you think he was trying to say? Was he saying that only the U.S. was sending help? If so, he is wrong.
Where was all the help when Katrena hit Mississippi Louisiana. They still need help there
Ehh Fox News.
Half a day they were talking about Sarah Palin as new contributor to Fox,half about Obamacare and at the end of segment they mentioned earthquake in Haiti and try to make it look like how great they are for helping people.
Just another day on Fox News.
But Rob Paterrson knows why earthquake happened to Haiti.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59NCduEhkBM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59NCduEhkBM)
I guess this makes sense,people of NO were cursed for refusing to be slaves and they were cursed with hurricanes.
There is video of earthquake.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXHopCrs46U (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXHopCrs46U)
I hope that Pat Robertson's reputation will finishing tanking after a statement like that! What a complete asinine, insensitive, ignorant, superstitious, close-minded, sanctimonious, bigoted, fool he is!
Now ask me what I REALLY think of him.
Pat Robertson has proved he is nothing but a piece of sh!t!
No one with even a shred of morals or sanity in his head would ever even dare blurt the crazy dribble he spews out of his mouth. He often speaks of natural disasters, yet he himself is the biggest natural disaster I have ever witnessed.
Thank God for that!
Greetings from Rush Limbaugh.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dcq9EpZRFKU (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dcq9EpZRFKU)
I am so going to hell... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXGubG2uruY)
Quote from: Reaper man on January 16, 2010, 03:04:34 AM
I am so going to hell... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXGubG2uruY)
Well Reaper, you are going to be in good company then. 8)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/17/cruise-ships-haiti-earthquake
I guess someone topped him being insensitive.
Yah, Bostech, it does seem pretty distasteful for Royal Carribean to be partying it up on a private beach while the rest of the country lies in death and ruins.
However, I can't really see how it is hurting Haiti. The ship is acting in part as a relief vessel by bringing in food and supplies as well as all proceeds from being docked there. I can't really see how it would help Haiti to steer the ship into Jamaica or the Dominican Republic instead.
As long as the ship doesn't take up any reources while docked, then it is a net good to Haiti, regardless of how inhuman it seems to vacation right next to someone else's great tragedy.
Well those ports can be used for humanitarian ships to bring aid.
Airport is already packed.
It just seems wrong to party next to devastated area.
Imagine tourists driving on tour bus and snapping pictures on 9-11 and saying how it is good for them to bring money to devastated area.
You bring up some good points, I agree
I for one will never forget or forgive the fact that some of the people of Haiti were dancing in the street after the 9 11 attack on the U.S.
Its only fair that i changed this to some of the people
Quote from: samiam on January 18, 2010, 04:05:45 PM
I for one will never forget or forgive the fact that the people of Haiti were dancing in the street after the 9 11 attack on the U.S.
nice
Quote from: tufsu1 on January 18, 2010, 04:06:21 PM
Quote from: samiam on January 18, 2010, 04:05:45 PM
I for one will never forget or forgive the fact that the people of Haiti were dancing in the street after the 9 11 attack on the U.S.
nice
In Haiti? Are you sure it wasn't Mecca, or Jerusalem, or Gaza, or Kabul, or Jedda, or Islamabad, or
Cairo, or Khartoum, or Mogadishu, or Baghdad, or Tehran. There were so very many places it was happening you might be confused. Or in the crowd, I might have overlooked Port-au-Prince.
Yes Haiti. It was not the entire population but there was a political faction that was celebrating the attack on the U.S. I was in the military at the time and the crew and myself were sitting on the mess deck when we received the report of it. We were all floored as many of the crew have been to Haiti including myself.
We received a written report and footage of the celebration
Quote from: Bostech on January 18, 2010, 03:52:02 PM
Well those ports can be used for humanitarian ships to bring aid.
Airport is already packed.
It just seems wrong to party next to devastated area.
If one reads the entire article, this isn't so straight forward. Apparently the UN envoy to the Haitian government urged the cruise line to continue its stops there to support the desperate local economy. And the cruise line is donating all port proceeds plus $1 million to Haiti and bringing supplies.Quote"In the end, Labadee is critical to Haiti's recovery; hundreds of people rely on Labadee for their livelihood," said John Weis, vice-president. "In our conversations with the UN special envoy of the government of Haiti, Leslie Voltaire, he notes that Haiti will benefit from the revenues that are generated from each call …
"We also have tremendous opportunities to use our ships as transport vessels for relief supplies and personnel to Haiti. Simply put, we cannot abandon Haiti now that they need us most."
"Friday's call in Labadee went well," said Royal Caribbean. "Everything was open, as usual. The guests were very happy to hear that 100% of the proceeds from the call at Labadee would be donated to the relief effort."
Forty pallets of rice, beans, powdered milk, water, and canned foods were delivered on Friday, and a further 80 are due and 16 on two subsequent ships. When supplies arrive in Labadee, they are distributed by Food for the Poor, a longtime partner of Royal Caribbean in Haiti.
Royal Caribbean has also pledged $1m to the relief effort and will spend part of that helping 200 Haitian crew members.
The company recently spent $55m updating Labadee. It employs 230 Haitians and the firm estimates 300 more benefit from the market. The development has been regarded as a beacon of private investment in Haiti; Bill Clinton visited in October. Some Haitians have decried the leasing of the peninsula as effective privatisation of part of the republic's coastline.
By the way, I have been to this "port" of Royal Caribbean. And, it's not a port at all so it isn't blocking any aid. It's a giant lagoon that the ship turns itself 180 degrees in. It anchors in the center of the lagoon and drops tenders to the beach. There is no docking facility except for the tenders. The tourist area is really a small peninsula or spit of land that forms the lagoon at the base of a mountain. Very picturesque and totally private. It's really amazing to see one of the world's largest ships maneuver in this space.
The stop featured a Haitian market with all locally made arts and crafts and other Haitian products sold by many vendors. They had a pavilion that featured Haitians performing dances and music from their culture. It seemed to be done very respectfully to the Haitian culture. They did have the peninsula walled off from the rest of the island with what I thought looked like a "King Kong" wall. Haitians working the resort all had picture ID badges. I could see why Haitians would want to keep it operable with over 3,000 passengers disembarking for an entire day to spend money with them with every stop by a ship. The donations and support of RCL would be an added benefit. (http://caribbeanbeaches.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/labadee-haiti.jpg)
Thanks for the clarification stjr... :)
Larry King did a fabulous job with his show last night raising over $7 Million. Kudos Larry King and all the peeps helping out.
Man,that is just SICK.
I don't know whats worse,coming up with excuses to proceed with cruising or that they had "special resort" with WALL separating beach from rest of general population so "Chosen ones" can learn to swim and buy cheap souvenirs.
Talking how you are "employing" Haitians in middle of disaster is pure sick.
Those people should not be employed but helped.Instead of catering to Chosen ones,they should be taking care of their families and they should donate money and supplies for their needs.
And Chosen ones should go home if they cant help.Lagoon can be used for delivering aid instead and those ships should not be there to create traffic and waste time of people who could be SAVING LIVES.
Hypocrites,considering how much mourning was after 9/11 that they had to go on TV to tell people to "have fun".
Apparently disaster that kills 200,000 is not big deal to prevent people going out and having "fun".
Basking in sun while few miles down road people are trapped in ruble.
For some people 911 was more tragic then Haiti,Iraq,Afghanistan,former YU and global warming combine.
"My tragedy" is The tragedy,other people's..who cares.
I wonder Bos, how have you helped those in Haiti? Or anyone else for that matter? You point fingers and hate on everyone's efforts. Why don't you try being the beacon, spend less time on this forum and put in your time to help others? Otherwise, how about taking a good dose of STFU?
I help people every day.I helped many refugees even that I was refugee myself at one point.
I was translator for 2 years,working for free and made $90 for entire time,where others were charging and making nice money out of it.
Otherwise if you can'r or won't help people,then just stay out of away so people that want and can help.
Employing Haitians is sick? It was already pointed out that they are not at a ships harbor, not causing traffic issues and did not even need to be there, but rather was requested to be there. Doesn't hurt that they have also pledged a minimum of $1MM additional to Haiti either.
So, apparently they can & are helping. But, feel free to put your cynical twist on it.
http://www.sphere.com/2010/01/20/aftershock-rattles-unstable-haiti/19323804/?ncid=webmaildl1
6.1 rated aftershock hit this morning...
If you give before you file your taxes for '09, you could use the credit this year is what I'm hearing.
yeah gator, that is true. I read that earlier today and should have posted it here.
They will still make "couple of million bucks" (give or take) not including giving 1 million (which inclued wages and 40 pallets of beans and rice).
Hope that part at least comes true and it doesnt end up being 100,000 instead of million.
They are still MAKING MONEY of cruises.
Thats important while people are dying,is to cover your ass.
As those Haitians,when you say they are employed its basically means they get paid about $60,000 a year.
Wait a minute,they get paid $5-10max a day including overtime.
So they spend on crew of 200 about $1000-2000 MAX A DAY.
I highly doubt even that,while they are making couple of million dollars at least.
Those people could be helping their families and cruise and people on it should be back home and not enjoying their time next to human tragedy.
Quote
They will still make "couple of million bucks" (give or take) not including giving 1 million (which inclued wages and 40 pallets of beans and rice).
Please provide a source of this information. Otherwise, you're making up numbers for the sake of spewing more 'damn the company' allegations. The fact that they're giving $1 million and pallets of beans and rice is huge. What have you done? How much should they give before you're satisfied and they're not 'evil'?
QuoteThey are still MAKING MONEY of cruises.
Of course they are. That's what they do. If they didn't make any money doing what they do, then they wouldn't be doing it for very long, now would they?
When you're a business, the point is to make money. What's the problem with that? Why go into business if you're not planning on making any money? Why do you hate businesses?
And now, a word from our local nut case:
Quote
Hugo Chavez Mouthpiece Says U.S. Hit Haiti With 'Earthquake Weapon'
The United States apparently possesses an "earthquake weapon" that set off the catastrophic quake in Haiti and killed 200,000 innocents. Don't believe it's true? Just ask Hugo Chavez.
Rest of the article here: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,583588,00.html
An earthquake machine? Really?
Don't we just wish! Hmm, one earthquake under the Presidential Palace in Caracas. One under the nuclear facilities in Iran. One under the Presidential residence in Pyongyang. All three places are earthquake prone. And darn, why did we waste one on Port-Au-Prince?
Chavez is really showing his fanny on this one.
Gotta love HAARP Conspiracy theories...
HAARP?
Hate America for Any Reason in Particular? :D
I saw something on TV in the past about these types of claims. They are based of this military program.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Frequency_Active_Auroral_Research_Program
Not saying it has any validity, just posting the info.
Quote from: Doctor_K on January 22, 2010, 12:14:13 PM
Quote
They will still make "couple of million bucks" (give or take) not including giving 1 million (which inclued wages and 40 pallets of beans and rice).
Please provide a source of this information. Otherwise, you're making up numbers for the sake of spewing more 'damn the company' allegations. The fact that they're giving $1 million and pallets of beans and rice is huge. What have you done? How much should they give before you're satisfied and they're not 'evil'?
QuoteThey are still MAKING MONEY of cruises.
Of course they are. That's what they do. If they didn't make any money doing what they do, then they wouldn't be doing it for very long, now would they?
When you're a business, the point is to make money. What's the problem with that? Why go into business if you're not planning on making any money? Why do you hate businesses?
You people dont need proofs.You are nto interested in proof.
You could come up with that reading article but you are not.You want to DEFEND capitalist who make money off poor people no matter what.
You already decided on whos "side" you are.
You should not be making money while people are SUFFERING.
That's like having lemonade stand in front of Jesus crucifixion.
Oh please hush about HAARP! You will get Bos and Stephen going at one another again. No more conspiracy theories!
Quote from: Bostech on January 22, 2010, 01:59:59 PM
Quote from: Doctor_K on January 22, 2010, 12:14:13 PM
Quote
They will still make "couple of million bucks" (give or take) not including giving 1 million (which inclued wages and 40 pallets of beans and rice).
Please provide a source of this information. Otherwise, you're making up numbers for the sake of spewing more 'damn the company' allegations. The fact that they're giving $1 million and pallets of beans and rice is huge. What have you done? How much should they give before you're satisfied and they're not 'evil'?
QuoteThey are still MAKING MONEY of cruises.
Of course they are. That's what they do. If they didn't make any money doing what they do, then they wouldn't be doing it for very long, now would they?
When you're a business, the point is to make money. What's the problem with that? Why go into business if you're not planning on making any money? Why do you hate businesses?
You people dont need proofs.You are nto interested in proof.
You could come up with that reading article but you are not.You want to DEFEND capitalist who make money off poor people no matter what.
You already decided on whos "side" you are.
You should not be making money while people are SUFFERING.
That's like having lemonade stand in front of Jesus crucifixion.
Of course I'm interested in proof.
I'm also interested in why you think that no one anywhere should ever make money so long as someone somewhere is suffering. Then define suffering.
Then turn around and never earn another cent, dollar, euro, pound, or krone ever again in your life, but not depend on a government subsidy or program, nor any other handout in order to survive. Ever.
Until you can, your argument against individuals or businesses making and having money is illogical.
I still have a job, earning a living in order to live in a home that I am in the process of paying down the mortgage, own my own car outright, and have earned every penny of every dollar to make that happen.
I am making money, working my two jobs. I donate my time to a non-profit that I help run on top of that. And I'm somehow an uncaring, insensitive, evil capitalist?
You're awesome.
"Define suffering"?
Are you serious?
All TV stations have Haiti telethon...except Fox News.
Hannity is bashing Democrats on it.
No wonder they got him 100 million dollar contract.
He's making 40 million dollars each year,hes too busy for Haiti and those poor people.
(http://i46.tinypic.com/2nqf975.jpg)
They got telethon on Weather Channel.
Hannity is still busy talking Obama.
(http://i48.tinypic.com/2rhsbkp.jpg)
Here is the real truth about HAITI that few people want to talk about in FRANCE, AMERICA, ENGLAND:
Quote
BY SIR HILARY BECKLES
THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES is in the process of conceiving how best to deliver a major conference on the theme Rethinking And Rebuilding Haiti.
I am very keen to provide an input into this exercise because for too long there has been a popular perception that somehow the Haitian nation-building project, launched on January 1, 1804, has failed on account of mismanagement, ineptitude, corruption.
Buried beneath the rubble of imperial propaganda, out of both Western Europe and the United States, is the evidence which shows that Haiti's independence was defeated by an aggressive North-Atlantic alliance that could not imagine their world inhabited by a free regime of Africans as representatives of the newly emerging democracy.
The evidence is striking, especially in the context of France. The Haitians fought for their freedom and won, as did the Americans fifty years earlier. The Americans declared their independence and crafted an extraordinary constitution that set out a clear message about the value of humanity and the right to freedom, justice, and liberty.
In the midst of this brilliant discourse, they chose to retain slavery as the basis of the new nation state. The founding fathers therefore could not see beyond race, as the free state was built on a slavery foundation.
The water was poisoned in the well; the Americans went back to the battlefield a century later to resolve the fact that slavery and freedom could not comfortably co-exist in the same place. The French, also, declared "freedom, fraternity and equality" as the new philosophies of their national transformation and gave the modern world a tremendous progressive boost by so doing.
They abolished slavery, but Napoleon Bonaparte could not imagine the republic without slavery and targeted the Haitians for a new, more intense regime of slavery. The British agreed, as did the Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese. All were linked in communion over the 500 000 Blacks in Haiti, the most populous and prosperous Caribbean colony.
As the jewel of the Caribbean, they all wanted to get their hands on it. With a massive slave base, the English, French and Dutch salivated over owning it - and the people. The people won a ten-year war, the bloodiest in modern history, and declared their independence. Every other country in the Americas was based on slavery.
Haiti was freedom, and proceeded to place in its 1805 Independence Constitution that any person of African descent who arrived on its shores would be declared free, and a citizen of the republic. For the first time since slavery had commenced, Blacks were the subjects of mass freedom and citizenship in a nation.
The French refused to recognize Haiti's independence and declared it an illegal pariah state. The Americans, whom the Haitians looked to in solidarity as their mentor in independence, refused to recognize them, and offered solidarity instead to the French. The British, who were negotiating with the French to obtain the ownership title to Haiti, also moved in solidarity, as did every other nation-state the Western world.
Haiti was isolated at birth - ostracized and denied access to world trade, finance, and institutional development. It was the most vicious example of national strangulation recorded in modern history. The Cubans, at least, have had Russia, China, and Vietnam. The Haitians were alone from inception. The crumbling began.
Then came 1825; the moment of full truth. The republic is celebrating its 21st anniversary. There is national euphoria in the streets of Port-au-Prince. The economy is bankrupt; the political leadership isolated. The cabinet took the decision that the state of affairs could not continue. The country had to find a way to be inserted back into the world economy. The French government was invited to a summit.
Officials arrived and told the Haitian government that they were willing to recognize the country as a sovereign nation but it would have to pay compensation and reparation in exchange. The Haitians, with backs to the wall, agreed to pay the French.
The French government sent a team of accountants and actuaries into Haiti in order to place a value on all lands, all physical assets, the 500 000 citizens were who formerly enslaved, animals, and all other commercial properties and services. The sums amounted to 150 million gold francs. Haiti was told to pay this reparation to France in return for national recognition. The Haitian government agreed; payments began immediately. Members of the Cabinet were also valued because they had been enslaved people before independence.
Thus began the systematic destruction of the Republic of Haiti. The French government bled the nation and rendered it a failed state. It was a merciless exploitation that was designed and guaranteed to collapse the Haitian economy and society.
Haiti was forced to pay this sum until 1922 when the last installment was made. During the long 19th century, the payment to France amounted to up to 70 per cent of the country's foreign exchange earnings.
Jamaica today pays up to 70 per cent in order to service its international and domestic debt. Haiti was crushed by this debt payment. It descended into financial and social chaos. The republic did not stand a chance. France was enriched and it took pleasure from the fact that having been defeated by Haitians on the battlefield, it had won on the field of finance. In the years when the coffee crops failed, or the sugar yield was down, the Haitian government borrowed on the French money market at double the going interest rate in order to repay the French government.
When the Americans invaded the country in the early 20th century, one of the reasons offered was to assist the French in collecting its reparations. The collapse of the Haitian nation resides at the feet of France and America, especially. These two nations betrayed, failed, and destroyed the dream that was Haiti; crushed to dust in an effort to destroy the flower of freedom and the seed of justice.
Haiti did not fail. It was destroyed by two of the most powerful nations on earth, both of which continue to have a primary interest in its current condition.
The sudden quake has come in the aftermath of summers of hate. In many ways the quake has been less destructive than the hate. Human life was snuffed out by the quake, while the hate has been a long and inhumane suffocation - a crime against humanity.
During the 2001 UN Conference on Race in Durban, South Africa, strong representation was made to the French government to repay the 150 million francs. The value of this amount was estimated by financial actuaries as US$21 billion. This sum of capital could rebuild Haiti and place it in a position to re-engage the modern world. It was illegally extracted from the Haitian people and should be repaid.
It is stolen wealth. In so doing, France could discharge its moral obligation to the Haitian people.
For a nation that prides itself in the celebration of modern diplomacy, France, in order to exist with the moral authority of this diplomacy in this post-modern world, should do the just and legal thing.
Such an act at the outset of this century would open the door for a sophisticated interface of past and present, and set the Haitian nation free at last.
If I wrote this I would be called anti-American or French.
This is nothing new,Haiti belongs to many countries exploited by western countries and left in ruins and debt.
Now western countries brag how great they are while those poor countries are left in ruins.
These kinda of exploitations are hapening as we speak in countries like Iraq,ex-Yu,Afghanistan.
Many countries are in debt and taken advantage and Haiti is just example of severe exploitations due to their history.
CNN has 360° video of Port-au-Prince.
http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2010/01/world/haiti.360/index.html
Seems like they were in a hurry. A slower pace would have been better. Interesting perspective however...
This should be a MUST READ for every Floridian, who has seen the horror in Hati... E A R T H Q U A K E F L O R I D A
A HistoryQuoteWhile the seismic events reported from the Florida peninsula and panhandle have indeed been rare, earthquakes have occurred and been felt. Thirty-three are identified herein. Spanning over 250 yr. reports have come from Pensacola to Key West. Shocks varied from slight shudders to violent shakings that destroyed buildings.
Few records of seismic shock have corroborative seismic evidence in the form of seismogram data. Many of the shocks reported or recorded in Florida seem to be related to seismic events elsewhere in North America.
Earliest seismic reported were plotted on the 10-point Rossi-Forel Scale. This scale measured earthquake intensity and was based on a subjective set of criteria. The more recent Modified Mercalli Scale is a 12-point scale that is slightly more objective. Earthquake ratings on this scale are written as upper case Ms followed by the Roman numeral designating the intensity of the tremor. For example, MMIV would represent an intensity 4 shock on the Modified Mercalli Scale. Rossi-Forel estimates have been converted to Modified Mercalli intensity equivalents in this paper.
1727 October 12. "Severe" tremors were reported and mentioned by Campbell (1943) and Lane (1976). However, the original record of these quakes has been lost. A severe shock was reported in New England on this date at 10:40. Reports of another shock came from Martinique on the same day. The relationship of either of these to the St. Augustine tremor was not established.
1780 February 6. A mild tremor was reported from Pensacola on this date (Lane, 1976). No damage was reported.
1781 May 8. A severe earthquake was reported at a military installation near Pensacola. While no fatalities were reported, shocks tore ammunition racks from barracks walls and leveled a house in the area (Lane, 1976).
1842 May 7. This tremor was felt from Florida to Louisiana. It may have been associated with a severe earthquake that struck Santo Domingo at about the same time. Sources report the disappearance of some Florida lakes on the day of this earthquake (Niles National Register, 1842).
1843 February 8. An earthquake was reported from the rural areas of the State. This tremor might have been associated with a tremor on the West Indies which occurred at the same time (Lane, 1976).
1879 January 12. Two severe shocks of about 30 sec each occurred from an area from Ft. Myers to Daytona and from Tallahassee to Jacksonville, and from all areas in between. The epicenter was located at 29°30'N, 82°00'W (U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1938). The shock was reported by hundreds of residents over a 25,000 square mile area of the Florida peninsula, and ranged from MMVIII to MMIX.
At St. Augustine, articles were thrown from shelves. In other locations, windows rattled violently and walls cracked. Rockwood (1880) indicated that the tremor progressed from the NW toward the SE between Gulf Hammock and Okahumpa. In the Tampa Bay area, Campbell (1943) states that the shock seemed to move from the SW to NE and was preceded by a rumbling sound ". . . as of a distant railroad train." MMVI was reported near Gainesville (Lane, 1976).
1880 January 22-23. On this date, a violent series of earth tremors struck at Cristobal, Cuba. At about the same time, 5 shocks were felt in Key West. Additional, more gentle shocks were felt in Key West through 26 January (U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1938).
1886 January 8 (a). Reid (1886) reported a shock in Jacksonville with no damage or injuries.
1886 August 31 (b). There were a series of strong shocks in Charleston, South Carolina on this date. The tremors in Charleston began at 21:51. In Tampa, residents reported 2 shocks, the first at 21:51, the second at 22:00. The first appeared to move NE to SW, while the second seemed to travel SW to NE.
In St. Augustine, church bells tolled as the tremor passed, while near Tallahassee, the water in Lake Jackson disappeared. A well near Graceville began to flow (Campbell, 1943).
1886 September 1-9 (c). Many reports of shocks were from throughout the area, with most coming from Jacksonville. These tremors were probably associated with aftershocks from the Charleston, South Carolina earthquake (Reid, 1886).
1886 September 22 (d). A 3-sec shock was felt in Archer, Florida. No damage, no injuries (Reid, 1886).
1886 September 29 (e). Slight shock reported. No injuries, no damage (Reid, 1886).
1886 October 22 (f). A single tremor passed through Jacksonville causing windows and dishes to rattle. On this date, similar shocks were felt in Charleston, South Carolina, as well as in Atlanta and Augusta, Georgia (Campbell, 1943).
1893 June 20. A shock of at least 10 sec duration was felt in Jacksonville, MMIV (Reid, 1907).
1900 October 10 (Stover et al., 1979). Reid (1907) estimates the epicenter of this tremor to have been at 30°20'N, 81°40'W. It was felt at Jacksonville at 11:15 and afterward. Eight distinct shocks were reported without damage and injuries. The intensity of this tremor was MMV. A tremor was also felt in Lake City about this time.
1902 May 20-21. Residents reported hearing a noise like heavy cannon fire at a distance. The noises preceded the actual tremor by about 3 min. Tremors were slight and without damage (Reid, 1907).
1903 January 23. A shock wave of MMVI was felt in north Florida and in Savannah, Georgia. No damage (Lane, 1976).
1905 September 4. MMIII shock was accompanied by slight rumbling noises. Duration was 10 sec without damage (Reid, 1907).
1924 October 20. A tremor of intensity MMIV shook the area. Windows and doors rattled, but there was no damage (U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1924). An earthquake was felt throughout Virginia, Tennessee and South Carolina at about the same time (Bollinger, 1977).
1930 July 19. Widespread shocks were felt over a wide area of west-central Florida. The shocks were so evenly spaced that blasting, at first, was thought to be the source of the shocks. However, Campbell (1943) points out that the size of charge necessary for a shock to be felt over such a large area would be highly unusual. Furthermore, no blasting of any sort was scheduled or recorded on that day. He suspects a seismic origin for the shocks.
1935 November 13. Two short tremors were felt. The second tremor lasted 15 sec. In Palatka, shocks were abrupt and forceful enough to cause people to run from their homes and into the streets. No damage or injuries were reported (Seismological Society Bulletin, 1936).
1940 December 26. A slight shock was felt in the Tampa Bay area. Campbell (1943) reports that a seismic origin for this shock is in doubt, but gives no details. However, the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (1940) does list a tremor on this date and time.
1942 January 19. Five to 7 evenly spaced tremors were felt from Miami throughout the Everglades. Each shock lasted about 1 min, and the shocks were spaced at 3 min intervals (Campbell, 1943). In Hollywood, whole houses shook. Moorehaven, on the south shore of Lake Okeechobee, reported 12 tremors. Still farther west, Alva reported 20 shocks, ranging from MMV to MMVII (U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1942).
1945 December 22. Press reports state that alarmed citizens felt a seismic shock in the area. A seismograph at Spring Hill College, near Mobile, Alabama recorded a slight earthquake on this date and time (U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1946).
1948 November 8. A sudden jar caused doors and windows to rattle. Residents report an accompanying sound like distant heavy explosion. Recorded as MMV (U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1948).
1952 November 18. This was a MMIV tremor felt in Lake City and in Quincy. A policeman in Quincy is said to have noted the exact time of the passing tremor on the back of a parking citation which he was issuing at the time (U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1952).
1953 March 29 (Stover et al., 1979). Slight tremor felt in Orlando.
1964 March 2. No surface expression of a tremor, but significant oscillations were noted in water well data collected by the United States Geological Survey. These oscillations were possibly associated with the Good Friday Alaska earthquake which happened in this date (Stencil, 1976).
1973 October 27 (a). Slight tremor reported in a broad area of central Florida (Stover et all., 1979).
1973 December 5 (b). Tremor reported at 11:30, Seminole and Orange counties.
1975 December 4. A MMIII to MMIV tremor was detected by most residents within a 10-mi radius of Daytona Beach (Stover et al., 1979).
1977 November 27. In October, 1977 the Earthquake Seismograph Station at the University of Florida became operational (Smith, 1978). No local events were recorded until November, 1977 when slight shock was recorded north over peninsular Florida. This tremor was not large enough to be felt, but was recorded as Richter magnitude .8.
At this writing (December, 1981) no additional tremors have been recorded. However, with the advent of continuous seismic recording for Florida, continuous updating of this record may now be accomplished. (Smith, Dec. 1981, pers. comm.)
You might note this is not up to the moment, but the relationship between Santa Domingo and Florida is downright scary. If this history proves anything, it proves we are IN HARMS WAY, and apparently oblivious to it. Santa Domingo? Yeah, the SAME ISLAND that Hati is on! OCKLAWAHA
Two articles relating to chances of earthquakes in our neck of the woods:Quote(CNN) -- A magnitude-3.8 earthquake struck northern Illinois early Wednesday, shaking homes and buildings and rattling plenty of nerves.
Doug Dupont of Belvidere, Illinois, about 70 miles northwest of downtown Chicago, said it shook him out of bed and left a crack in his kitchen wall.
"It was really scary. It felt like a train was going by our house," Dupont said. "This is not California. This is northern Illinois. We are not supposed to get earthquakes."
The CNN Fact Check Desk wondered: Are earthquakes east of the Rocky Mountains unlikely, or was Tuesday's predawn quake in Illinois a wake-up call for Easterners?
• The U.S. Geological Survey says earthquakes pose "a significant risk to 75 million Americans in 39 states."
• Of the 26 U.S. urban areas deemed at risk for significant seismic activity, nearly one-third are east of the Rockies, including New York; Boston, Massachusetts; St. Louis, Missouri; Memphis, Chattanooga and Knoxville, Tennessee; and Charleston, South Carolina.
• One of the most active eastern quake zones is the New Madrid seismic zone, winding southward from Illinois and Missouri down through west Tennessee and Arkansas. It unleashed a series of magnitude-8.0 quakes in 1811-12.
Seismologists say we can expect one that big every 200 to 300 years. And quakes in the 6.0 range come every 80 years or so. The last one in the area was in 1895, 115 years ago.
• Others worth noting: A magnitude-7.3 quake in Charleston in 1886 and a magnitude-5.8 quake in northern New York state in 1944.
• Although earthquakes may be less frequent in the eastern U.S., the USGS says urban areas in the East could face bigger losses because the shaking would affect much larger areas than similar quakes in the West. In addition, most homes and buildings in the East are not designed to withstand earthquakes.
Bottom Line: Much of the eastern U.S. is at risk, not only for smaller quakes but major ones as well. History books tell us they've happened before, and seismologists assure us more will come. In fact, USGS statistics indicate that many areas in the East are overdue for a significant seismic event.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/02/10/earthquake.fact.check/index.html?hpt=T2
QuoteFlorida unaffected by fault line in Haiti earthquake
State is virtually safe if and when quakes happen elsewhere.
* By Carole Fader
* Story updated at 11:15 PM on Friday, Jan. 15, 2010
Florida is not in harm's way from the fault line involved in Tuesday's earthquake in Haiti. In fact, there are no significant fault lines around or in the state, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey told The Times-Union.
Two fault lines run east and west along the north and south borders of Haiti and part of Hispaniola, the island that includes Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
"The Haitian quake occurred along the major fault line on the southern edge - it's called the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden Fault System. The northern fault line runs along the southern edge of Cuba to the Cayman Islands and on to Guatemala, Belize and Honduras. And neither of those faults impact Florida," USGS geophysicist John Bellini said Wednesday.
Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince is about 710 miles from Miami, but it's unlikely the earthquake could have been felt in South Florida, Bellini said.
Here's what geologists think happened in the Haitian quake, as reported in The Miami Herald:
Earth is made up of continental and oceanic tectonic plates, massive irregularly shaped slabs of solid rock. The Enriquillo-Plantain Garden Fault is pushed by the Caribbean Plate, a unsettled land mass that moves about 20 millimeters east each year. The plates have been pushing against the fault since a major quake in 1760, said Paul Mann, a research scientist at the University of Texas in Austin. On Tuesday, the plates got the fault to move.
What the plate did to the fault is like when a person tries to move a grand piano, Grenville Draper, a professor at Florida International University, told the Herald. "The person will push and push with no effect - then, the piano will suddenly slip forward," said Draper, an expert in Caribbean geology.
Such plate movement is not usually felt in Florida, although several minor shocks have occurred there, the USGS reports. Tremblings were felt in St. Augustine in January 1879, and tremors from the famous Charleston, S.C., shock in August 1886 were felt in St. Augustine and Jacksonville, which also experienced aftershocks in September, October and November. In June 1983 and in October 1900, Jacksonville also experienced slight tremors.
"Earthquakes are rare events in Florida," Bellini said. "It's about the safest place to be if you don't want to be in one."
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-01-14/story/florida_unaffected_by_fault_line_in_haiti_earthquake
Thanks... I feel better now... :)