American SMS Contributes $11 million for Haiti

Mobile Giving Foundation has seen 10,000 texts/second

Cellphone users in the United States have contributed more than $11 million to Haitian earthquake relief through text messages in what is being hailed as an unprecedented mobile response to a natural disaster.

The Mobile Giving Foundation called it a “mobile-giving record” for funds raised for a single cause. Donations are rising swiftly, it said, as former President Bill Clinton and other politicians urge the American people to give.

A Big Quake in Haiti

Tens Of Thousands Feared Dead In Haiti Quake

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – Traumatized Haitians slept out in parks and streets on Thursday, fearing aftershocks to the catastrophic earthquake that flattened homes and government buildings and buried countless people.

Tens of thousands of people were feared dead and many were believed to be still trapped alive in the rubble of the major 7.0 magnitude quake that hit Haiti’s capital on Tuesday.

There were no signs of organized operations to rescue those trapped in debris or remove bodies and doctors in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, were ill-equipped to treat the injured.

Some of you might have no clue where Haiti is, just like me. Here’s the map:

Map of Haiti

Brief facts about Haiti (pronounced as Heiti [English] or Aiti [French])
Official Name: the Republic of Haiti (République d’Haïti ; Repiblik Ayiti)
Capital: Port-au-Prince
Population: 8,326,000
The total area: 27,750 square kilometres (10,714 sq mi).
Religion: largely Christian, with Roman Catholicism professed by 80% of Haitians. Protestants make up about 16% of the population. Haitian Vodou, a New World Afro-diasporic faith unique to the country, is practiced by an undetermined percentage of the population.

Sumatra Quake Death Toll rises into 1,100

PADANG, Indonesia — Rescue workers pulled victims, some screaming in pain, from the heavy rubble of buildings felled by a powerful earthquake that a government official said killed at least 777 people. The U.N. put the death toll at 1,100 and said it was likely to rise.

Jawa Pos meanwhile reports the Sumatra quake toll rises into 1,100 people death. This following news from AP seems a bit late:

The brunt of Wednesday’s 7.6-magnitude earthquake, which originated in the sea off Sumatra island, appeared to have been borne by the city of Padang, where a government official said most the deaths occurred.

The region was jolted by another powerful earthquake Thursday morning, causing damage but no reported fatalities.

More than 500 buildings including hotels, schools, hospitals and a mall were destroyed or damaged in Padang. Thousands of people were still believed to be trapped in the rubble, said Rustam Pakaya, head of the Health Ministry’s crisis center. Workers used backhoes to shift debris.

Earthquake rocks western Indonesia

Update October 1, 11.30 PM: SCTV reports the dead victims reaches 530 people. Presiden SBY said this quake in Padang, West Sumatra is bigger than the one in Yogyakarta.

Update October 1, 7.20 am: Metro TV reports about 75 people are reportedly dead so far.

Update September 30: Detik.com reports that there are at least four people reportedly dead.

A powerful quake brings down houses on Indonesia’s Sumatra, AFP reports

Indonesia’s meteorological agency says a powerful earthquake has shaken western Indonesia.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami alert for Indonesia, Malaysia, India and Thailand.

The Indonesian agency said the tremor had a magnitude of 7.6. Its epicenter was just off the coast of Sumatra

The U.S. Geological Survey put the strength at 7.9.

CNN gives more details:

The quake was recorded about 33 miles from Padang, the capital city of West Sumatra, which is home to more than 800,000 people.

… The quake struck at about 5 p.m. local time.

Several buildings in Padang were damaged, Metro TV reported. People were seen running out of their homes and toward the hills.

TVOne pictures from the scene showed people milling around outside in the city.

Phone lines were apparently down in many parts of Padang. Indonesia’s Tempo Interactive, a media outlet based in Jakarta, had trouble reaching its correspondent in the West Sumatra city, according to journalist Purwani Diyah Prabandari.

“I hope it’s just the cell phone connection,” Prabandari told CNN.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a tsunami watch for Indonesia, India, Thailand and Malaysia, but canceled it soon after.

The temblor did generate a tsunami just under one foot high, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

Tsunami strikes in Pacific

Another tsunami, this time in Pacific with 8.3 richter scale, reports BBC

A tsunami triggered by a strong quake in the South Pacific has killed more than 100 people in several islands.

At least 77 people were reported dead in Samoa, more than 25 in American Samoa and at least six in Tonga.

Residents and tourists fled to higher ground as whole villages were destroyed. Boats were swept inland and cars and people out to sea.

The 8.3-magnitude quake struck at 1748 GMT on Tuesday, generating 15ft (4.5m) waves in some areas of the islands.

The Samoa islands comprise two separate entities – the nation of Samoa and American Samoa, a US territory. The total population is about 250,000.

A general tsunami warning was issued for the wider South Pacific region but was cancelled a few hours later.

Death victim rises in Indonesia Earthquake

Java quake toll are set to rise. Hopefully the rescue workers can deal with this situation quickly.

At least 46 people have died and thousands of people have been forced into emergency shelters after a powerful earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia’s Java island, rescue officials say.

The magnitude 7 quake, which hit on Wednesday afternoon local time, caused widespread damage.

With rescue and recovery efforts under way on Thursday, officials said the death toll was likely to rise further. Some coastal areas remained out of contact

7.1 Strong Quake Hits Indonesia

Strong Quake Hits Indonesia, Killing 34 people

A powerful earthquake struck the southern coast of Java on Wednesday, killing at least 34 people and rocking buildings 120 miles away in the capital, Jakarta, government officials said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center of the National Weather Service said the 7.1 magnitude quake struck Java, Indonesia’s main island, at 2:55 p.m. local time. The center’s initial report, at 3:06 p.m., triggered a tsunami watch, although that was canceled 15 minutes later.

My deep condolences to those killed and their family.