On January 12, 2010, around 5 p.m., a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit 10 miles south-west from the densely populated city of Port-au-Princehttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8455629.stm, the capital Haiti.http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Earthquake-Hits-Haiti-US-Geological-Survey-Issues-Tsunami-Warning/Article/201001215520368?lpos=World_News_Top_Stories_Header_0&lid=ARTICLE_15520368_Earthquake_Hits_Haiti%3A_US_Geological_Survey_Issues_Tsunami_Warning Five aftershocks followed directly after the initial quake, two of which had a Richter scale measurement of 5.9 and 5.5. In total, the Haiti area was struck with over 40 aftershocks.http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122762500

The initial shock caused widespread damage, with reports that the Presidential Palace and a large hospital had collapsed. This was the biggest earthquake ever recorded in the region. A missionary told Sky News Online, "There's a cloud of dust over Port-au-Price right now,"http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/13/world/americas/13haiti.html and Raymond Alcide Joseph, Haiti's ambassador to the U.S. told CNN that the ministry of commerce and presidential palace builders were stricken, saying, "If those buildings are damaged, can you imagine what's happened to all the flimsy adobes around Port-au-Prince in the hillsides? I say it's a major catastrophe." Tsunami watches were posted in the region, but it was deemed unlikely that a tsunami would result from the earthquake.http://news.discovery.com/earth/big-quake-rocks-haiti-tsunami-watch-in-effect.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/12/haiti.earthquake/index.html President Barack Obama issued a statement, saying:

"My thoughts and prayers go out to those who have been affected by this earthquake. We are closely monitoring the situation and we stand ready to assist the people of Haiti."http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/13/world/americas/13haiti.html

He is expected to make another public statement at 10 am (ET)http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/13/haiti.updates/

CNN reported that Haitian First Lady Elisabeth Debrosse Delatour had stated that most government officials were all right, as the earthquake happened after working hours, but most of Port-au-Prince is destroyed.
In the hours after the earthquake it became apparent that many government buildings the U.N. peacekeeper compound and airport were destroyed or badly damaged. The airport was inoperative, and power and communications were mostly cut off.http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/13/haiti.earthquake/index.html

A large set of photos has been distributed though Twitter and Twitpic. Click this link to see a selection of those pictures

On January 20, around 6 a.m. in the morning, a 6.1 aftershock was registered around sixty kilometers (35 miles) southwest of Port -Au-Prince. Early reports from the capital state there was little additional damage compared to the destruction of last week's 7.0 earthquake.

Residents of the capital abandoned their homes and gathered on the streets for safety. The aftershock and weather conditions hinder relief actions, stopping the distribution of food, water and medicine, which is stacking up on the Port-au-Prince airfield.http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2010/0120/Haiti-aftershock-Why-a-6.1-quake-isn-t-that-powerfulhttp://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fg-haiti-aftershock21-2010jan21,0,4441630.story

Haiti's Prime Minister warned the death toll may reach or top 100,000 a day after the earthquake hit and nearly completely destroyed Port-au-Prince. Streets are covered with rubble of destroyed houses, and are covered with corpses. He added:
"..so many, so many buildings, so many neighborhoods totally destroyed, and some neighborhoods we don't even see people, so I don't know where those people are."http://www.canada.com/news/world/Haiti+quake+death+toll/2437153/story.html Early estimates by Red Cross ranged from 35,000 to 55,000, but were later adjusted to 100,000 to 200,000, with over 1.5 million left homeless.http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978004608&grpId=3659174697244816&nav=Groupspace

Several relief funds have been opened to provide aid to the Haiti area. Most notably, Yele Haiti, an initiative by Wyclef Jean to aid his native country, has been tweeted and re-tweeted on Twitter requesting donations. Wyclef has tweeted several messages from his account. First, he tweeted:
"Haiti just got hit with a Major EarthQuake please call your family out there Now!",
later followed by "Tsunami watch n haiti right now! People unite!" and "Haiti just been hit again with a 5 point 9 earthquake! Please Pray", after which he started his relief action with:"Please text "Yele" to 501501 to donate $5 to YELE HAITI.Your money will help with relief efforts. They need our help..please help if you can"http://twitter.com/Wyclef

The San Francisco Chronicle keeps track of all Haiti Relief initiatives on their blog, sfgate.com, which lists all initiatives in alphabetical order. Relief initiatives include the American Red Crosshttp://www.redcross.org/en/donatemoney, CARE http://www.care.org/careswork/countryprofiles/61.asp, Doctors without Boarders, Mercy Corps http://www.mercycorps.org/ and UNICEFhttps://secure.unicefusa.org/site/Donation2?df_id=6680&6680.donation=form1 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/abraham/detail??blogid=95&entry_id=55175

The United Kingdom has dispatched a team of 61 firefighters to Haiti to aid the rescue activities in the area. The firefighters all volunteered for the job. They will bring special equipment and two rescue dogs.
Fire fighter and leader of the team told BBC:
"One rescue can take between six and 10 hours, depending on the situation and what the building is made from."
"We go totally self-reliant, with several tonnes of equipment so we can work 24 hours a day on at least two separate sites." http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/8456252.stm

USAID, the government aid agency, said it was sending search-and-rescue team of at least 72 personnel and six rescue dogs.http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6986183.ece

According to reports, a Roman Catholic priest in France has said that the archbishop of Port-au-Prince, Monsignor Joseph Serge Miot, has died in the Haiti earthquake.

According to the French priest, fellow missionaries in Haiti have told him they found the body of Monsignor Miot in the ruins of his office. Port-au-Prince was the most important diocese in Haiti, which in itself is dominantly Roman Catholic. http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2010/01/13/3752138-archbishop-of-port-au-prince-dies-in-haiti-quake