First thing to say is that Haiti is not a country known for it’s earthquake preparedness.
Second thing is early reports are bad. A collapsed hospital, with people screaming inside. A separate three-story building collapsed.
The White House is trying to figure out what the damage, after President Obama was told about the quake at 5:52 p.m. “My thoughts and prayers go out to those who have been affected by this earthquake. We are closely monitoring the situation and we stand ready to assist the people of Haiti,” he said in a statement.