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HTI | Jan 11, 2023

City of Miramar to honour the 250,000 Haitians who perished in the 2010 earthquake

/ Our Today

administrator
Reading Time: 2 minutes

The City of Miramar will hold a commemorative ceremony to honour the 250,000 Haitians who died in the 2010 earthquake.

The ceremony will be held on Thursday (January 12), at City Hall, 2300 Civic Center Place, in Miramar Florida.

The event, which is set to begin at 10:00 am, will include prayers from Miramar religious leaders, survivors’ testimonials, a wreath laying and the lowering the US flag at half-mast.

Schools were among the many buildings destroyed during the 7.0M earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010. (Photo: coutausse.com)

A catastrophic magnitude 7.0 M earthquake struck Haiti at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, January 12, 2010. 

The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest department, approximately 16 miles west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. By January 24, at least 52 aftershocks measuring 4.5 or greater had been recorded.

The earthquake claimed the lives of approximately 250,000 Haitians, displaced five million people who witnessed their homes reduced to rubble and almost two million people were forced to live in makeshift camps when the rainy season slammed the country weeks later.

A look at the Downton harbour in Port-au-Prince during the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake. (Photo: coutausse.com)

Since that time, the resilient people of Haiti have endured other natural disasters but are continuing to rebuild despite the challenges.

“We honour the memories of our Haitian brothers and sisters who lost their lives during the tragic earthquake of 2010.  It is a day we will never forget and stand with the Haitian community to pray for continued healing for the country and people of Haiti,” stated Mayor of Miramar Wayne M Messam.

The City Hall, in Miramar, Florida where the commemorative ceremony is set to take place.

The commemorative ceremony is in partnership with Thelar Management Group and is designed to recognise Miramar’s vibrant Haitian American community.

It is important to note that Jamaica, like other Caribbean countries, is vulnerable to natural disasters including earthquakes. The country is currently observing Earthquake Awareness Week.

This year, the Office of Disaster and Preparedness Management (ODPEM) has announced that the country will celebrate Earthquake Awareness Week (January 8 to 14) under the theme ‘Drop, Cover, Hold… Earthquake Readiness Is Within Your Control’.

Tags
2010 Earthquake City of Miramar earthquake Earthquake Awareness Week Haiti Haiti earthquake

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