Haitis Earthquake

Haiti situated in the western hemisphere, part of Latin America is an underdeveloped country. On the 12th January 2010 an earthquake measuring 7.0 magnitude struck the country with devestating effects. The city capital Port au Prince has beed left in ruins. The presedential palace, parliament and many other fundamental structures have been destroyed. The death toll has been estimated at 150,000 but it could increase as many have been left homeless and in ill health.

Haiti was inscribed on the Unesco world heritage list in 1982 for the National History Park. The park consisted of monuments dating from the beginning of the 19th century, when Haiti proclaimed its independence. The Palace of Sans Souci, the buildings at Ramiers and, in particular, the Citadel serve as universal symbols of liberty, being the first monuments to be constructed by black slaves who had gained their freedom.

Now the earthquake has hit, Unesco have said that saving lives and providing humanitarian relief remain the absolute priority of the international community in helping Haiti deal with the devastation of the earthquake. Information is beginning to arrive about the state of the country's heritage: the National History Park - Citadel, Sans Souci, Ramiers, situated in the north of the country, and about Jacmel, in the southeast.

The National History Park, which includes the ruins of a royal palace and the largest fortress of the western hemisphere, appears to have been largely spared by the quake. But UNESCO is still waiting for detailed information about the impact of the quake on the property which was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1982.

Reports of extensive damage are coming in from Jacmel, the colonial city the Haitian authorities placed on their "tentative list" in 2004 with a view to proposing its inscription on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Many of the buildings of the French colonial town, founded in the late 17th century are reported to have collapsed.

The World Heritage Centre will be helping Haiti assess the extent of the damage and determine how to go about saving its heritage as soon as possible.

Lets hope as much can be saved as possible and that as many people as possible can be given the help they need to survive!
Please see the following links:
http://www.redcross.org.uk/donatesection.asp?id=102260
http://www.news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/americas/2010/haiti_earthquake/default.stm
http://www.whc.unesco.org/en/news/579