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* The video above was shot by Haitian Michel Eric Gaillard from his balcony as the earthquake struck.

January 12, 2011  marks the first anniversary of a crushing magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti about 15 km southwest of the capital, Port-au-Prince. An estimated 250,000 people died in the tremblor, assessed by experts as the worst disaster of 2010 in terms of human cost. The quake was the largest to hit the region in 200 years, and knocked out water, electricity and communications in the country. Haitians turned to the Internet to find information about what was going on and to communicate with loved ones outside of Haiti.

Teams from all over the world quickly came to provide assistance to the nation.  Numerous problems including blocked roads, bureaucratic confusion and the collapse of local authority hampered initial efforts to help the victims. According to officials,  progress has been made toward a recovery despite the problems, but earthquake survivors complain that progress has been glacial.

In this series of reports, VOA revisits earthquake-ravaged Haiti to see where things now stand and how the survivors are coping with last year's massive loss.


Timeline of Events following the January 12, 2010 earthquake

Haiti Earthquake on Dipity.




See Special Report on 2010 Earthquake and its aftermath.


Haiti: Ways to Help
U.S. State Department
American Red Cross
International Committee of the Red Cross
United Nations
USAID
Clinton Bush Haiti Fund



Video reports




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Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth shows the group's annual review during a media conference at the Residence Palace in Brussels, 24 Jan 2011.

Report: Human Rights Worsen in Haiti After Earthquake

Human Rights Watch says devastating quake last year has compromised the state's ability to safeguard human rights

Duvalier Expresses 'Profound Sadness' for Victims of His Regime

Former dictator says he has returned to Haiti to show his solidarity at difficult period for country

US Sanctions Haitian Officials for Election Abuses

A run-off vote in Haiti's presidential election has been postponed amid international pressure for electoral reforms

Alain LeRoy, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations (undated photo)

UN Urges Haiti to End Political Crisis

UN Undersecretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Alain LeRoy says leaders need to work towards better future for country

Jean-Bertrand Aristide (file photo)

US Discouraging Aristide Return to Haiti

Officials say following Jean-Claude Duvalier's arrival this week, return of another controversial figure is 'last thing' Haiti needs

Jean-Bertrand Aristide (file photo)

Aristide Says He Wants to Return to Haiti

Days after former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier's surprise return, ousted president says he wants to return from exile

Haiti's former dictator Jean-Claude 'Baby Doc' Duvalier, left, greets supporters from the balcony of his hotel room in Port-au-Prince, 19 Jan. 2011

Duvalier's Lawyer Says Former Haitian Dictator Has Presidential Aspirations

Reynold Georges tells reporters former leader is a politician at heart and has hopes of getting involved again in the political arena

Police officers take ex-dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier out of his hotel in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Haitian police took Duvalier out of his hotel to a waiting SUV without saying whether he was being detained for crimes committed under his brutal regime, 18 J

Haiti's Duvalier Charged With Corruption

Human rights groups urge Haitian authorities to prosecute Duvalier for abuses committed during his 15-year rule

Jean Claude Duvalier and his wife, Veronique Roy at the Port-au-Prince international airport, 16 Jan 2010

Duvalier Makes Surprise Return to Haiti

Former leader, known as 'Baby Doc' kissed the ground and said he is back in Haiti 'to help'

The long-lost Ventriloquial frog was recently rediscovered in Haiti.

Frogs Hang On in Haiti

Rediscovered lost species sound hopeful note

A group of Haitians mark the first anniversary of the magnitude-7.0 earthquake with a candlelight vigil and march in Port-au-Prince, 12 Jan., 2011.

A Year After Devastating Earthquake, Haiti Remembers

January 12 quake killed hundreds of thousands, left one million homeless

Michael Geilanfeld, who runs St. Joseph's, a house for former child slaves and street children in Port au Prince

Haitian Home for Street Children Rebuilds

Michael Geilandfeld runs a house for former child slaves and street children; despite glacial reconstruction pace he reports progress

A woman displaced due to the Jan 12, 2010 earthquake holds a child as she rests next to her tent and belongings before leaving the refugee camp at the Saint Pierre park in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Dec 14, 2010

Haiti Mourns Earthquake Dead ahead of 1st Anniversary

Last year's devastating earthquake left more than 200,000 people dead

A boy carries a girl to school at a camp for earthquake displaced people in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Dec 17, 2010

Number of Haitians Living in Displacement Camps Drops

International Organization for Migration says camp population in Haiti has gone well below one million for first time since earthquake

A man pulls a cart with merchandise past quake-damaged buildings in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 06 Jan 2011

One Year After Earthquake, Haiti Still in Ruins

After disaster that killed more than 200,000 people, country remains in shambles, both physically and politically

An earthquake survivor prays with children in Port-au-Prince, Haiti (Nov 2010 file photo)

Sexual Violence a Continuous Threat in Haiti, Amnesty International Says

Rights group says violence against women increasing one year after deadly earthquake

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