Just before 5:00 p.m., January 12, 2010, a violent earthquake (magnitude
7.0) struck the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, leveling the entire
city.1 According to a photographer on the scene, “It was general mayhemâ€:
buildings crumpled, shantytown homes destroyed, tens of thousands injured
and dead.2 As the chaos unfolded, newscasters broadcast the disaster
on television and the Internet, often over broken and intermittent satellite
links. The desperate need was first for water and relief supplies, and second
for heavy equipment to move tons of rubble. Doctors and nurses who could
treat devastating injuries and administer lifesaving antibiotics and intravenous
fluids were also in high demand, as were volunteer aid workers and
military personnel.