2010 Haiti earthquake - Haiti Observer Blog

Samuel Davis Dalembert is a professional basketball centre player. He plays for the NBA's Houston Rockets. He is famous for his shot blocking ability.

Dalembert was born in May 10,1981in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He stayed in Haiti for 14 years and later moved to Montreal. At Montreal, he began his professional basketball career. He played in Montreal and Quebec.

He schooled at Seton Hall University where he had an opportunity to play college basketball. Because of his shot blocking ability, Samuel Davis Dalembert is one of the top NBA players in this category. He has recorded an average of around two blocks for every game he has played.

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When Haiti's 2010 earthquake hit, it shattered the infrastructure of the country. Thousands of people lost their homes, ending up in tent cities beyond the borders of Port-au-Prince. Survivors of the quake were left, not only without shelter, but without food or water. Although relief aid poured in from all over the world, logistics prevented it from reaching the quake survivors quickly. Because of this, the religion of Islam won new converts, for they were able to offer shelter in the mosques and food.

One of the disaster relief agencies, Islamic Relief USA, arrived in Port-au-Prince and erected 200 shelters, later building a 20-classroom high school. Imam Robert Dupuy says the five mosques located on the island were able to house many hundreds of people. As a result, Islam has experienced more conversions.

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January 12, 2010 will be remembered forever by every Haitian in the world. This is the day that a great earthquake struck most places in Haiti. The victims of the earthquake say that they heard the Goudou Goudou and within no time everything had turned into a sort of hell. Goudou Goudou is an onomatopoeic name that Haitians have come to refer to the sound made by the quake. They say that the ground shake and the falling of buildings coupled with moans gave the sound similar onomatopoeic Goudou Goudou.

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Haiti has suffered enormously since 2010's devastating earthquake reduced Port-au-Prince to rubble, inflicting major damage to the rest of the country also. Relief aid poured in from major nations, billions of dollars. Tent cities were quickly erected and non-government organizations like Doctors Without Borders tended to the maimed and sick. The U.S. donated $1.8 billion to lift Haiti out its perpetual state of poverty.

But Haiti, especially flattened Port-au-Prince, has not begun essential re-building efforts, for example, permanent housing and an electric grid. Two factors have impeded Port-au-Prince's restoration: the Government of Haiti's (GOH) nearly annihilated administration (16,000 functionaries lost their lives), and its tenuous collaboration with the U.S. to jump-start re-building projects. As a result, little progress has made.

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After the earthquake struck on January 12, 2010 the country's telecommunications infrastructure, including television, phones and the radio all suffered severely. The frightened populace, left stranded from news across Haiti by the destruction the disaster wrought on technology, were given hope as one radio station, miraculously, relatively unscathed, stood to tell the tale.

Port-au-Prince's Signal FM started off its twentieth year as the only radio station still able to broadcast. Not only was the infrastructure intact, but the 50 person staff, all but three of whom were on-site, had been unhurt, and suddenly theirs was the only means of communication for people across Haiti and the concerned around the world.

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Haiti will forever live to remember the worst earthquake that hit its capital about two years ago. Despite the fact that the damage caused was immense, international community and the long supportive US to Haiti gave substantial hopes to Haiti's government and entire Haiti at large through reconstruction pledges. According to US top government officials who were actively involved in the life saving operation after the catastrophe, they were later to venture into rebuilding Haiti and give it a strong base for reconstruction.

There were great hopes in the success of the initiative but the catastrophe chose to hit at the cornerstone of Haiti, Port au Prince, bringing all plans to a standstill. The earthquake that flattened Haiti's capital at first seemed manageable but a destruction of major Ministry apartments hindered any progress in the restructuring process. The US in particular had pledged to provide $1.8 billion for the reconstruction but lack of stable government to set up transparent strategies on the projects to be funded ruined it all.

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Although it is not fun to watch, these pictures will remind you for a moment what the Haitians living in Port-au-prince had to go through on January 12, 2010 at 04:53:10. The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 earthquake, with the epicenter near the city of Leogane which is located approximately at 25 km west of Port-au-Prince.

Take a look at these pictures. Click on picture to see more photos:

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Considered to be the biggest event since Live Aids concert, George Clooney rallies most of the biggest names in the entertainment industry to produce Hope for Haiti Now Telethon. Specifically, hundred and forty of the biggest names in Music, movies, and politic joined host George Clooney for the Hope for Haiti Now Telethon.

On January 12, 2010, Haiti was hit by an earthquake magnitude 7.0. The epicentre was located in the city of Leogane, some 16 miles west of the Haiti capitgal Port-au-Prince. However, the earthquake caused damages in several Haitian cities, in particular, Port-au-Prince, and Leogane

The Hope for Haiti Now Telethon featured artists such as Madona, Rihana, String, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Coldplay and Sheryl. Also a list of celebrities such as former president Bill Clinton, Leonard DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman and Samiel L. Jackson participated in addressing the audience.

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It was reported that the Actor turned humanitarian Sean Penn excused himself from the Dubai Film Festival this week as he was scheduled to receive a lifetime achievement award to fly to Haiti because as he stated "the situation in the crisis-hit country has worsened".

Sean Penn's JP, Haitian Relief Organization, manages a large tent city on what used to be the Petion Ville Country Club. The Actor turned humanitarian.

Penn arrived in Haiti immediately following the 2010 earthquake of January 21 that killed close to 300,000 people. Founded with philanthropist Diana Jenkins, Sean Penn's JP, Haitian Relief Organization started to work drainage around Port-au-Prince. Shortly after that, Sean Penn's organization has become responsible for a tend city on the grounds of a former golf club in Petion Ville.

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Were these Haitians inspired by the prison break following the earthquake of last January?

The "Haitian Joudalist" learned that two inmates from Haiti National Penitentiary had a clever idea and wanted to execute it last Sunday. They were trying to escape from the prison roof but instead shot dead.

What kind of planning is that? I guess Haiti National Penitentiary that was damaged by the January earthquake, offered them a golden opportunity to escape prison, and as it was done over nine months ago, many prisoners think this time they could escape as well.

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