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Haitians mark 15th year since massive earthquake reduced country to rubble

Haitians mark 15th year since massive earthquake reduced country to rubble
Haitians mark 15th year since massive earthquake reduced country to rubble 02:28

LITTLE HAITI — It's been 15 years since one of the worst natural disasters happened in modern history. The devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake killed over 315,000 people. It displaced over a million people and reduced much of the country to rubble

The 7.0 magnitude quake is forever imprinted in the minds of Haitians everywhere. Not only did it kill hundreds of thousands of people, it injured another 300,000.

Mireille Marinelli is one of those injured.

"I lost some friends, some family members, it was so hard," she said. 

Marinelli, who was buried under a school desk for five days, lost an arm. In the weeks that followed, she spent a month sheltered by the Red Cross.

She remembers the country's structures wiped out.

"I was stuck for five days and when I got out, I could not find a hospital because everywhere was down," said Marinelli.

Sunday, she celebrated her home country with hundreds of others in Little Haiti at the Toussaint Louverture statue.

"We remember how people suffered. We remember how Haiti suffered, and we want to send a message of solidarity to the people of Haiti that we don't forget them," said Miami-Dade Commissioner Marleine Bastien.

The ceremony was a call to action. Those in attendance, like Commissioner Bastien, wanted to send a message to Haitian leaders to put the country on a path forward. The commissioner also called on the Biden administration to extend Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for Haitians in the United States through 2028.

In June of 2024, TPS for Haitians was extended for 18 months. It was set to expire on August 4, 2024, but was extended until February 3, 2026.

Peterson Exias is a survivor of the earthquake. His apartment collapsed on top of him. He sought refuge in the United States and his family would benefit from a TPS extension.

Those in attendance at Sunday's festivities said we should never forget those moments at 4:53 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010.

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