GVSU prof not surprised by Haiti quake

ALLENDALE, Mich. (WOOD) - In the geological community, the Haiti earthquake tragedy wasn't a surprise to many, experts say.

Grand Valley State assistant professor of geology Peter Wampler saw a very active fault at a rock quarry when he visited Haiti about two years ago. He has visited Haiti twice since 2007, and has friends in Port-au-Prince he hasn't been able to reach.

Many of the buildings Wampler saw in the city and in surrounding areas were made of cinder blocks, he said, and many of the homes didn't have solid walls.

Buying enough cinder blocks to make the walls solid was too expensive for some, he added.

The roads are small and medical care often is difficult to receive. When Wampler heard about the earthquake, he said he knew the damage would be severe.

"I immediately thought tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of people would be killed," he said. "Because I knew that the buildings there are not meant to sustain wind, much less shaking like this -- and just, the density of the population is so great in that small area."

That area has gotten more than 30 aftershocks since the main earthquake Tuesday afternoon, Wampler said. If Haiti doesn't get a lot of help soon, he said he wouldn't be surprised if people started leaving the island for good.

But the most frightening thing is the unknown, many West Michigan Haitians have said.

"When you know your loved ones are there and you're not able to reach out to them -- to talk to them, to find out whether or not they're alive -- there's nothing you can say about that," Haitian native Ramses Deceus said. "You just sit there and watch TV and hope somebody will pop up onto the screen and say that's my relative."

But all Deceus can do is wait, and pray his family members survived Tuesday's devastating quake.

"It's shocking and nerve-wracking, knowing you have family members back there you aren't able to get in contact with," he said.

Phone lines are down, the death toll is climbing, and aftershocks continue after the magnitude 7 earthquake.

Deceus said the only thing he can do is hope for the best for his family and the country of his birth. He said he hopes things turn out better for the survivors in the long run.

"Maybe now we will be able to get the clean water and medical supplies and most importantly, the education that the people of Haiti need," he said.

Watch the video to hear more from Deceus and Wampler.