HAITI — The status of a group of Vero Beach volunteers in Haiti remains unknown, hours after a 5.9 magnitude aftershock ripped through the impoverished nation Wednesday morning.
John Engle, co-founder of HaitiPartners.org, and his family, went to Haiti on a mission before last week’s 7.0 magnitude earthquake decimated the capital city and the surrounding area. They were reported safe at the time and had since updated their video blog on YouTube numerous times.
On Tuesday, Kent Annan, the other founder of the volunteer group, arrived in Haiti to assist Engle in providing relief to Haitians.
Neither one had updated their blog or responded to e-mails at last check late Wednesday morning.
Annan brought with him $10,000 cash that was to be distributed to various people and groups in Haiti to assist in purchasing supplies, Engle said in a video blog entry posted Tuesday. They explain in the video that the banks are closed, making it all but impossible for people to buy food and other supplies in areas where relief has not yet arrived.
“It feels like a privileged position we are in,” Annan says, being in a position to pass along the compassion and assistance people back home have sent to Haiti.
Wednesday’s aftershock, the first in two days, came at 6:03 a.m. eastern time. It was 6.2 miles deep and about 35 miles west-south-west of Port-Au-Prince, where the initial earthquake struck on Jan. 12. The U.S. Geological Survey’s Web site has reported the aftershock’s magnitude of 5.9, though world media outlets reported it as 6.1.
Media networks have reported that officials in Haiti are concerned that the aftershock could have closed off areas where survivors were still trapped, sealing them off from possible rescue.