Scientists Predicted the Devastating Haitian Earthquake

Haitian President told CNN as many 50,000 thousand of people may have been killed other officials have thrown out much larger figures.

Patrick Charles, former Professor of the University of Havana, predicted in 2008 that there would be a large earthquake in Port-au-Prince in the near future. The BBC reports that "According to the New Scientist magazine, A group of scientists from the US and Jamaica predicted in 2008 that a magnitude-7.2 earthquake would result if all of the strain along theEnriquillo-Plaintain Garden fault zone in southern Haiti was "released in a single event".  Paul Mann, who was one of the scientists who gave the warning, said Haiti was particularly vulnerable to earthquake damage because many people lived in poorly constructed housing on steep slopes."

On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, the mammoth earthquake happened, registering 7.0 on the Richter scale, with an epicentre about 15 kilometres or 10 miles south-west of Port-Au-Prince, according to the US Geological Survey. The devastating quake was quickly followed by two strong aftershocks with magnitudes of 5.9 and 5.5 and many others at intervals of 15-20mins according to reports. 

The quake occurred around 5pm and, in the fading light of the day, it was obvious the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, had suffered heavy damage especially in the capital Port-au-Prince.

Videos and images posted on social networking sites, showed  collapsed or  badly damaged buildings including the Presidential Palace and a hospital. Additionally the electrical infrastructure has been damaged.

Haiti's President, Rene Preval, told the Miami Herald that he believes thousands of people have been killed, and that the scene in Port-au-Prince is "unimaginable", with parliament, schools and hospitals destroyed.

This and other photos have been uploaded online on http://picfog.com/search/Haiti - Warning: Some of the photos are very disturbing due to their graphic nature.

The Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Hubert Ingraham, said he was deeply distressed at the news. "Our hearts go out to the people of Haiti at this time and I have alerted our emergency services to be prepared, along with similar agencies in our sister states in the Caribbean, to render whatever aid we can as soon as possible," he said in a release late on Tuesday. 

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in a statement on its website said it is distressed at the initial reports coming out of Haiti in the wake of the destruction wrought by the series of earthquakes which struck its Member State on Tuesday. "As it continues to monitor the situation closely, CARICOM will move quickly to mobilize its disaster emergency response systems in order to render assistance to Haiti," the statement continued.

Haiti has been plagued in recent years by natural disasters. Just In 2008 four storms within one month, left over 800 people dead.

US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton said that the United States was offering full assistance to Haiti in the forms of both civilian and military disaster relief and humanitarian assistance.

Haitian born recording artist, Wyclef Jean announced he was flying into the Domincan Republic in an attempt to get into Haiti and called on the international community to render assistance to the Caribbean country.