7. 4-magnitude quake hits Mexico

In one of the strongest earthquakes since 1985's Mexico City shaker, the south-west Mexican state of Guerrero experienced a 7.4-magnitude shock mid-day Tuesday. Producing several aftershocks, the quake was felt as far away as Guatemala City, approximately 600 miles from the epicenter.

Traffic jams and building evacuations abounded, while 800 homes were damaged, according to some reports. Some have been injured, though no deaths have been reported as of yet.

Although the earthquake is not expected to create a widespread tsunami, there is still a chance that tsunami effects will be experienced locally.

Guerrero last experienced a major earthquake (magnitude 6.5) in 2008.

Western Chinese province struck by 6.9 earthquake

The USGS reported on their website that a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck an area in southern Qinghai, near Tibet, on Wednesday morning and was followed by two quakes in the same region. There were no immediate reports of casualties in the remote rural area, but witnesses have described houses quickly crumbled. Ten minutes following the first earthquake, the area was hit by a magnitude 5.3 quake, and a 5.2 two minutes later. The death toll is now at 67 (updated at 8:23pm PST via @BreakingNews)

Another earthquake... pretty scary. It's a good thing that the death toll is not as high, mainly because not many people live in that region. Hopefully the death toll doesn't keep rising and damage is minimal. Seems like 2010 is truly the year of earthquakes.

Edit 04/14/10: Death toll has risen to 589 and over 10,000 are injured.

Haiti hit by 7.0 Earthquake

Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, was hit by a 7.0 earthquake earlier today. The quake took place near the country's capital city, Port-au-Prince, and inflicted very heavy damages on the city. Many buildings collapsed, including a hospital. The UN Peacekeeping mission backing the current Haiti government could not be contacted, but Bill Clinton stated that the "world body was 'committed to do whatever we can to assist the people of Haiti in their relief, rebuilding and recovery efforts.'"

Haiti, it seems, is prone to incredible misfortune. In the past several years, the country of nine million has been hit badly by hurricanes. In a small stroke of luck, the tsunami watch for the country has been cancelled, so it seems that the population will have at least a little respite from catastrophe.

When this kind of disaster hits, I think it a little reminiscent of Hurricane Katrina (not the same type of natural disaster, but still a disaster nonetheless). The US handled that situation poorly, but at the very least the US had the resources to do something. This country has nothing, apparently 80% of the population lives in destitution. These people have no means to help themselves, and while I'm sure the world's aid will be forthcoming, there is no way it will be enough. This is beyond regrettable, and it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Why is this country, the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, so unlucky? While I wish that this had not happened at all, I believe the aftershocks would have been less had it occurred in a country better equipped to handle the situation.