Story Archives of 'earthquakes'

Chile is just beginning to recover from a devastating 8.8 magnitude earthquake and a resulting tsunami that flooded coastal towns. At least 700 people are dead, two million are homeless, and three aftershocks this morning are just complicating rescue efforts.

But it’s informative to compare this tragedy to the one that struck Haiti seven weeks ago. Saturday’s quake was thirty times more powerful than the one that leveled Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. Yet the death toll in Haiti could reach as high as 300,000.

Why the sharp discrepancy? To help us answer that question we’re turning to Brian Tucker. He’s president and founder of Geohazards International. In 19 years, the group has worked in twenty countries to raise awareness of earthquake preparedness. He joined us from Palo Alto, California.

Huffington Post: Chile-Haiti Earthquake Comparison- Chile Was More Prepared

Forbes: After Haiti

(Photo by Luis Iturra via Flickr/CreativeCommons)

Earlier this week, NHPR reported on two teams of doctors and nurses from Dartmouth Hitchcock who went down to Haiti to help those injured in last week's earthquake.

One group had left and was already at work in the town of Hinche, northeast of Port-au-Prince.

Dr Jim Geiling is leading the second team which arrived in the capital, Port-au-Prince, on Wednesday.

Geiling is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Dartmouth.

He tells NHPR's Mark Bevis the place they landed in is a far cry from the sunny, snowy world of the Upper Valley.

A second team of medical personnel from the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center has left for Haiti to help earthquake survivors.

An initial group of 9 doctors and nurses has been in place since the weekend in the town of Hinche, northeast of Port-au-Prince.

Medical Center Emergency Room Doctor, Robert Gougelet, is the Director of the New England Center for Emergency Preparedness at Dartmouth Medical School.

He's one of the organizers and described the effort to NHPR's Mark Bevis.

Many parents are asking themselves how to speak to their children about Haiti. It’s been seven days since a devastating earthquake shook Haiti. Since then, stories and images of human tragedy and desperation have dominated the news. Around the world, parents and teachers struggle with how to help kids understand the disaster. As with their catasrophes, adults wonder when it is best to tell the whole truth and when is it better to gently present facts from a safe distance?

There’s a fine line between being honest and frightening impressionable kids. Here to help us walk that line is Dr Paula Rauch, founder and director of PACT (Parenting at a Challenging Time) at Massachusetts General Hospital. She joins us today from Boston.

Girl-Mom Blog: Talking to Kids About Haiti

(Photo courtesy of SIAcademy via Flickr/CreativeCommons)

New Hampshire’s Haitian immigrants are watching and waiting in extreme anxiety for news of loved ones back home. Meanwhile, Granite State relief workers are on the scene, facing huge challenges in getting aid to those who desperately need it. We’ll hear from New Hampshire residents deeply affected by this unfolding crisis.

Guests

• Jean Jeudy, Democratic state representative from Manchester and member of New Hampshire’s Haitian community
• Rev. Renaud Dumont, pastor of the First Haitian Baptist Church in Manchester
• Samson DuClair, president of the Haitian Community Center of New Hampshire

We'll also hear from

• Nate Nickerson, executive director of Konbit Sante, a Maine-based volunteer partnership focused on saving lives and improve health care in northern Haiti
• Andrew Tobin, father of a 10 year old girl from Haiti who has traveled to the country several times; his wife Kelly was staying in Haiti when the earthquake struck and currently is taking care of a family there
• Gina Gretchko, Director of Marketing for On Call Interational, a Salem based company helping unite families in New Hampshire with loved ones traveling to or living in Haiti; their hotline is 800-576-5172
• Jamie Devlin, COO for the Red Cross, Granite Chapter