S.O.S Haiti

Thousands of people may have died. Haiti's worst quake in two centuries hit south of the capital Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, breaking the presidential palace. The Haiti earthquake occurred at a fault that runs right through Haiti and is situated along the boundary between the Caribbean and North American plates, which are rocky slabs that cover the planet and fit together like a giant jigsaw puzzle. These two plates constantly creep past one another, about 0.8 inches (20 mm) a year, with the Caribbean plate moving eastward with respect to the North American slab. The Red Cross says up to three million people have been affected.

The earthquake was a catastrophe Haiti's cost of the damage could run into billions. A number of nations, including the US, UK and Venezuela, are gearing up to send aid. The quake, which struck about 15km (10 miles) south-west of Port-au-Prince, was quickly followed by two strong aftershocks of 5.9 and 5.5 magnitude. Communications were widely disrupted, making it impossible to get a full picture of damage a powerful aftershocks shook a desperately poor country where many buildings are flimsy. Electricity was out in some places.

The American military has begun to do its first airdrops over Haiti but is proceeding cautiously despite an enduring need for humanitarian relief. An Air Force C-17 dropped more than 3,700 gallons of water and 14,000 packaged meals after US military personnel secured an area in a neighborhood in Port-au-Prince Monday.