Significant Aftershock Hits Haiti

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported this morning that an aftershock registering at 5.9 on the moment magnitude scale hit Haiti this morning. The epicenter was 60 miles WSW of Haitian capital Port-au-Prince.Other sources have reported the quake as a 6.1 event, which appears to have been the USGS's preliminary estimate. Little news has emerged of further damage, but as reporter Robert Dougherty darkly noted in a spirit of concern for Haitians' plight, the event "can't be as bas as last week's quake, since there's much less to destroy now." The distance of the epicenter from the Haitian capital is likely to lessen the tremor's potential for damage.

An item at CNN's ongoing coverage of the disaster included an item including a nurse's statement that, "Wednesday morning's aftershock sent patients at a hospital near Haiti's airport in Port-au-Prince into loud prayers for forgiveness and protection."

Little news has emerged of further damage, but as reporter Robert Dougherty darkly noted in a spirit of concern for Haitians' plight, the event "can't be as bas as last week's quake, since there's much less to destroy now."

Anthony O'Donnell has covered technology in the insurance industry since 2000, when he joined the editorial staff of Insurance & Technology. As an editor and reporter for I&T and the InformationWeek Financial Services of TechWeb he has written on all areas of information ... View Full Bio