7.2 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Haiti

In case you hadn’t heard yet – a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti at approx. 8:30 this morning.  For comparison, the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands of people was a 7.0 magnitude.

Information is still coming out very quickly, but here’s what I know at this point:

• The epicenter of the earthquake was on Haiti’s southern peninsula, about 90 miles from Port-au-Prince and extremely close to Chambellan, Jeremie, and Les Cayes, where many of us have traveled to and where we have many friends and churches who we’ve worked closely with for the past several years (including Gereel Pierre, the minister in Chambellan, and his son Apollos).
• I spoke with JT earlier, and he said he’s not been able to make contact with anyone in Jeremie or Chambellan (news reports indicate that all communications are down in that region).
• One sad note – a sweet Christian lady in Les Cayes that Jim Cain, Brandon Mays, and I had dinner with one night – an American woman who moved to Haiti permanently many years ago – has lost her home, which was completely destroyed this morning.
• Aftershocks continue to ripple through the region, the largest reported so far being a magnitude 5.2.
• To make matters worse, tropical storm Grace is expected to impact the region early next week.  Tropical storm-force winds and heavy rain that could lead to flash flooding are expected from Monday into Tuesday.
• At least 29 fatalities have been confirmed thus far, and that number is expected to rise as further details emerge.  The U.S. Geological Survey is estimating “high casualties and widespread disaster.”
• According to initial reports there is “significant damage to buildings, homes, roads, and infrastructure.”
• The administrator for St. Antoine Hospital in Jeremie sent out a message stating, “We are overwhelmed.  There are a lot of people coming in – a lot of people.  We are not currently able to count how many there are, but the emergency service is completely full and we have had to install medical tents in the courtyard.”
• The best source I’ve found so far for live news updates, photos, and videos is https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/haiti-earthquake-08-14-21/index.html

As always, please be praying for all our friends and loved ones in Haiti, and all our Christian brothers and sisters there.