Second, 6.1, quake hits this morning

[bcholmes]

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — A strong aftershock struck near the Haitian capital on Wednesday morning, shaking buildings and setting off screams of terror from the thousands of residents who have been camped outside since last week’s powerful earthquake.

The aftershock, which had a magnitude 6.1, came around 6 a.m. about 35 miles west of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and was the most powerful to hit Haiti since the initial earthquake on Jan. 12.

The latest temblor came a day after American military helicopters landed in the capital, signs of the growing international relief operation here. But the troops’ presence underscored the rising complaints that the Haitian government had all but disappeared in the week since a huge earthquake struck.

Haiti's long history of foreign intervention, including an American occupation, normally makes the influx of foreigners a delicate issue.

But with the government of President René Préval largely out of public view and the needs so huge, many Haitians are shunting aside their concerns about sovereignty and welcoming anybody willing to help — in camouflage or not.

"It is not ideal to have a foreign army here, but look at the situation," said Énide Edoword, 24, a waitress who was standing Tuesday in a camp of displaced people. "We are living amid filth and hunger and thirst after a catastrophe."

— Strong Aftershock Hits Near Haitian Capital

I just got an email saying, "We are all OK after the second esrthquake, but it scared the hell out of us. I have not moved so fast since I was in [high school]."