CTV News:
Canada ready to help Haiti.
There is no confirmation of Canadian casualties in the Haiti earthquake, although 6,000 citizens from this country reside there, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said Tuesday.
Of those, only 700 are registered with the Canadian Embassy in Port-au-Prince, he said.
"Canada is offering its condolences to all those affected by this disaster. Our thoughts are with the people of Haiti," Cannon told a news conference in Ottawa. "We invite Canadians who are in the area to call home and reassure their loved ones."
Haiti is the second largest recipient of humanitarian aid from Canada, Cannon pointed out: "We have a close relationship with Haiti and are ready to act," he said. "We are committed to helping Haiti. We have done this in the past."
Officials in Ottawa and Port-au-Prince are closely monitoring the situation and "Canadians are ready to give consular assistance," Cannon said.
Government officials are also considering whether to deploy its Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) — Canada's team of 200 Canadian Forces personnel which provides help to areas affected by disaster for up to 40 days. Canada currently has five soldiers in Haiti, posted there for security reasons.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a statement Tuesday evening extending his "sincere sympathies to all affected by this disaster."
"Canadians are profoundly concerned about the impact of today's earthquake in Haiti," Harper said.
"Our nation is home to a large community of Canadians of Haitian descent. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they seek word about the safety of their loved ones."
While officials assess the damage and the possibility of Canadians being injured in the quake, "Canada stands ready to provide any necessary assistance to the people of Haiti during this time of need," Harper said.
Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean issued a statement saying she is following the tragedy in her native country "with great attention and concern."
"This natural disaster has hit a country with an extremely fragile infrastructure, where many buildings are already unstable, and where living conditions are often very difficult. I fear for its people," she said.
"I would like all Haitians to know that they are not alone and that Canadians will respond to this emergency."
In Washington, U.S. President Barack Obama said his "thoughts and prayers" were with the people of Haiti and pledged to come to their aid if needed.
"We are closely monitoring the situation and we stand ready to assist the people of Haiti," Obama said in a statement.
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CBC News:
Thousands feared dead as 7.0 quake hits Haiti.
The largest earthquake ever recorded in the area rocked Haiti on Tuesday, collapsing a hospital where people screamed for help and damaging other buildings.
An aid official described "total disaster and chaos."
Communications were widely disrupted, making it impossible to get a clear picture of damage as powerful aftershocks shook a desperately poor country where many buildings are flimsy. Electricity was out in some places.
Karel Zelenka, a Catholic Relief Services representative in the capital of Port-au-Prince, told U.S. colleagues before phone service failed that "there must be thousands of people dead," according to a spokeswoman for the aid group Sara Fajardo.
"He reported that it was just total disaster and chaos, that there were clouds of dust surrounding Port-au-Prince," Fajardo said from the group's offices in Maryland.
The headquarters of the UN peacekeeping Mission in Haiti sustained "serious damage" in Tuesday's earthquake and a large number of UN personnel in Haiti are unaccounted for, the peacekeeping chief said late Tuesday.
Alain Le Roy in New York said other UN installations in the Caribbean nation were also seriously damaged. UN officials said a large number of its personnel were missing.
The executive director of Haitian Ministries for the Diocese of Norwich, Conn., Emily Smack, said she believed two of the organization's staff are trapped in their mission house, which partially collapsed during the earthquake.
Other buildings also were damaged and scientists said they expected "substantial" damage and casualties as powerful aftershocks shook the country.
The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.0 and was centred about 15 kilometres west of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
It had a depth of eight kilometres and was the largest quake recorded in the area, said Dale Grant, an analyst with the U.S. agency. The last major quake was a magnitude-6.7 temblor in 1984.
Weather conditions were generally quiet at the time of the quake. A mostly sunny sky with temperatures around 25 C to 30 C were reported.
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What do you say in times like this? Hopefully our southern neighbors and ourselves will giddy-up and do what we can, and fast.
Thoughts and prayers to all who are and will be affected by this. If they come looking for volunteers tomorrow, my name will be on the list.