Tuesday 12 Jan 2010 a major earthquake, centered on Léogane (25 km West of Port au Prince), hit at 1653 local time. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Tuesday destroyed Port-au-Prince and likely killed tens of thousands of Haitians. Defense officials are rushing to get military assets and personnel into Haiti as quickly as possible. Military and State Department officials so far have declined to put a timetable on U.S. intervention in Haiti, saying their focus is on the immediate rescue and humanitarian needs of the devastated country. The lead for this international response is the State Dept and USAID.
