Haiti Decrees Three Days of National Mourning After Earthquake

Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry decreed a national mourning that will run from Tuesday through Thursday in honor of the 1,419 victims of the earthquake that occurred on August 14.

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"Many people have died and we want to show respect for them," Henry said, adding that he presided over an extraordinary Council of Ministers in which matters such as the definition of a strategy for the coordination of international aid and the identification of priority needs were analyzed.

The Haitian PM also announced the creation of a group that involves the State, the private sector and civil society to respond to the needs of the population living in the departments of South, Nippes, and Grand'Anse.

As a result of the 7.2-magnitude earthquake, 1,133 people died and 6,900 citizens were injured in southern Haiti, where 84,225 homes, hospitals, schools, and public buildings were destroyed or partially damaged.

On Sunday night, Mexico, Venezuela and Chile sent about 65 tons of humanitarian aid. Cuba sent its teams of doctors and nurses to attend to the population.

Yesterday, the departments of Sud-Est and Nippes registered floods as a result of the passage of tropical depression Grace, which is expected to leave Haiti on Tuesday afternoon.

Civil protection authorities declared a national red alert due to climate ravages. For instance, in Nippes, where there are some 6,750 families affected by the earthquake, the homeless faced torrential rains.