January 21, 2010

This is the latest update sent by USAID-DCHA to be released to the public.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

At 0603 hours local time, a magnitude 5.9 aftershock occurred 35 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, with the epicenter located near Petit Goâve town, Ouest Department, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). According to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), an estimated 94,000 people experienced very strong shaking during the aftershock; however, the extent of the damages and injures currently remain unclear. According to the USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (USAID/DART), U.S. urban search and rescue (USAR) teams are deploying to aftershock-affected areas, including Petit Goâve and Léogâne towns, to assess potential damages.

Following the aftershock, U.S. USAR teams began resurveying buildings to identify potential new open spaces created by the aftershock where survivors may be trapped and monitor building shifts.

On January 20, USAID's Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP) contributed an additional $20 million to the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) Emergency Operation for Haiti, increasing USAID/FFP's overall contribution to $68 million to date. At present, expedited commodity purchases are being organized.

1.20.10 USAID-DCHA Haiti-Earthquake Fact Sheet #8