The Haiti Earthquake is arguably one of the biggest natural disasters in recent times. Capital city in the epicentre means there is no capacity from which to launch a rescue effort. No electricity, no communication lines and few buildings. The Presidents Palace, Parliament, Police and UN Headquarters are all vistims.
Haiti and Port-au-Prince in particular is mountainous, so houses are one on top of the other per se. Hundreds of thousands live in the valleys where soil erodes and homes slide down during rains. An earthquake of 7.0 plus after shocks of 5 (over 20 in total) would have shaken the earth under the house, if the building had no yet collapsed.
Thousands and thousands of people may be trapped, and only bare hands of neighbours, friends and families can save lives. There is no capacity for emergencies like this. Niether people nor the equipment.
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