The faithful prayed -- for relief, for mercy, for safety -- as aftershocks rumbled across Haiti on Tuesday evening.
"It's 8:44 p.m. and we're still getting aftershocks! Can hear people gathered in the distance singing prayers," wrote Richard Morse, hotel manager at the Oloffson Hotel in the capital, Port-au-Prince. On Twitter, he captured the aftermath of a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Haiti, causing widespread destruction.
The quake, which happened shortly before 5 p.m., was followed by at least 18 aftershocks, averaging a magnitude of 5.0, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
As the night went on, the singing and praying intensified and then waned, Morse wrote. What he didn't hear in all the commotion were helicopters or ambulances.
Disaster Relief
The panic that engulfed Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, could be witnessed on an online Haitian entertainment channel called Haitipal, which suddenly became an essential communication tool.
Frantic callers broadcast pleas for help.
"My cousin has a broken leg and she's trying to get to the hospital," one caller said. "She has two kids. ... How can she get to the hospital?"
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The man gave his cousin's address, and the channel's commentator asked anyone listening who lived nearby to see whether he could help.
Many callers expressed their sympathies and prayers for the people of Haiti, while others told of fallen buildings and damaged homes.
"It's 8:44 p.m. and we're still getting aftershocks! Can hear people gathered in the distance singing prayers," wrote Richard Morse, hotel manager at the Oloffson Hotel in the capital, Port-au-Prince. On Twitter, he captured the aftermath of a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Haiti, causing widespread destruction.
The quake, which happened shortly before 5 p.m., was followed by at least 18 aftershocks, averaging a magnitude of 5.0, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
As the night went on, the singing and praying intensified and then waned, Morse wrote. What he didn't hear in all the commotion were helicopters or ambulances.
Disaster Relief
The panic that engulfed Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, could be witnessed on an online Haitian entertainment channel called Haitipal, which suddenly became an essential communication tool.
Frantic callers broadcast pleas for help.
"My cousin has a broken leg and she's trying to get to the hospital," one caller said. "She has two kids. ... How can she get to the hospital?"
Are you there? Submit an iReport
The man gave his cousin's address, and the channel's commentator asked anyone listening who lived nearby to see whether he could help.
Many callers expressed their sympathies and prayers for the people of Haiti, while others told of fallen buildings and damaged homes.
