Haitian ambassador to France : People of island are poor in best of times . Raymond Alcide Joseph calls quake ` ` a disaster of major proportions Eighty percent of Haiti 's 9 million residents live under the poverty line and more than half -- 54 percent -- live in abject poverty , according to the CIA Factbook . '' People are reported out in the streets , cowering in strong aftershocks . OAS says lack of any building standards in Haiti makes it vulnerable .
Haitian ambassador to France : People of island are poor in best of times . Raymond Alcide Joseph calls quake ` ` a disaster of major proportions '' People are reported out in the streets , cowering in strong aftershocks . OAS says lack of any building standards in Haiti makes it vulnerable .