MaximsNewsNetwork: HAITI: SEISMIC ASSESSMENT - MORE EARTHQUAKES in the FUTURE (U.N. MINUSTAH)

MaximsNewsNetwork 16 February 2010 - UN MINUSTAH, Port-au-Prince, Haiti - A UN report compiled by a group of thirty scientists assessing the risk of earthquakes, landslides and tsunamis in Haiti says there is a high probability of another earthquake of at least the same magnitude within the next 100 years.

The findings of the report which is expected to be released next Friday will be a crucial factor to be taken into account before a rebuilding effort begins.

SOUNDBITE (French) Jean, Lottery Agent:
I am afraid of working here, but I dont have a choice. If I stay at home nobody is going to give me anything.

According to the United Nations, if 1.2 million people are currently living in shelters, there are at least 2 million additional people affected by the earthquake and threatened by falling rubble.

Andrew Morton of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), responsible for the report, warned that every damaged building which has not yet collapsed will probably do so, with people who have returned to cracked houses in their homes or work buildings facing a great danger.

SOUNDBITE (English) Andrew Morton, United Nations Environmental Program project manager:
Its very dangerous to talk about predictions of earthquake. But in summary the best signs show that there is reasonable likelihood that we will have a big earthquake within the next ten, fifty, one hundred years. Now the important thing about that number is within the lifetime of the buildings that we will go up now and the ones that still exist. So the buildings need to be prepared for that earthquake.

A team of experts from across the world are currently installing instruments to analyze the shifts of the earth. The French geologist Eric Calais has already been placing GPS to measure the effects of the fracture.

SOUNDBITE (French) Eric Calais, French geologist:
In fact its the entire country which was affected by the earthquake, even though the major shakes are in the zone of Port au Prince to Leogane. We are trying to measure these shakes with GPS.

The Haitian fracture has already been the subject of long studies by Haitian experts. Roberte Bien Aimee, a professor of seismology at the University of Port au Prince, had already done a thesis on the Haitian fracture as a student.

SOUNDBITE (French) Roberte Bien Aimee, Haitian professor in seismology:
An earthquake of this magnitude 7.3 it was the first time. Even if it were magnitude 5, it would have been the first time. We had already felt small shakes before. So this was a sign announcing a major earthquake. But there we were not ready.

Another report undertaking urgent data collection to enable a more informed analysis and forecast will be delivered at end of March. The outputs of the taskforce will be made available to the public on a dedicated website. ................................................................................­.... ( UNITED NATIONS STABILIZATION IN HAITI: MINUSTAH ) ................................................................................­... MaximsNewsNetwork:
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