Port-au-Prince, Haiti - local scale case study

Physical nature of hazard

-epicentre

-magnitude

-depth of focus

-tectonics

-extra impacts

Earthquake

-epicentre 25km south-west of Port-au-Prince, 2010

-Richter 7.0

-13km deep (shallow focus)

-fault line off Puerto Rico Trench (N American plate sliding under Caribbean plate) - strike slip fault (Caribbean plate and Gonave plate)

-50+ aftershocks 4.5 or greater

-localised tsunami, waves up to 3m

World Risk Report Haiti

- lack of coping capacity

- highest for vulnerability

- susceptibility

- lack of adaptive capacities

World Risk Index - 21st

- lack of coping capacity - 3rd

- highest for vulnerability - 5th

- susceptibility - 7th

- lack of adaptive capacities - 13th

Migration of people after event - what happened and why did people choose to stay?

benefits > risks. economic opportunities concentrated in Port-au-Prince, roots. many left but returned due to lack of economic opportunity & basic services in countryside

why is vulnerability high in port-au-prince

high population density and high density of buildings

population characteristics haiti

experienced high population growth, young population structure (almost 70% under 30) --> civil unrest and violence

What are shantytowns?

cheaply built, unsanitary, unsafe towns -- built on unstable steep hillsides prone to landslides in low-lying coastal areas -- susceptible to hurricanes & tsunamis

---e.g. Cite Soleil : large seaside slum on former rubbish dump

what percentage of those housed of hillsides face risk of landslides? (port-au-prince)

40

over half of those living in informal settlements (port-au-prince) live in ravines and gullies that are...

susceptible to inundation

vulnerability of port-au-prince/haiti

-national debt, extreme poverty, poor housing

-uncoordinated/high urban growth, unplanned development, sprawling informal settlements/slums

-high density, high-risk building structures, limited investment in infrastructure/healthcare

what is a nexus

a connection or series of connections linking two or more things

disaster risk/poverty nexus

- combined influence of?

- asset inequality

- inequality of entitlements

- political inequality

- social status inequality

what does asset inequality in entail?

housing, security of tenure, agricultural productivity

what does inequality of entitlements entail?

unequal access to public services & welfare systems, inequalities in application of law (policing, judging sentencing)

what does political inequality entail?

(include literacy rates Haiti)

unequal capacities for political agency possessed by different groups and individuals

-e.g. reduced agency/voice of illiterate

---adult literacy rate Haiti:

2016 61.09%

2006 48.49&

what does social status inequality entail?

linked to space (e.g. informal housing), ability of individuals and groups to secure regular income and access to services

---low status of women in Haiti

vulnerability of women - what took place in Port-au-Prince camps (Jan 2010-Dec 2011)

attacks in dark latrines, tents, rapes reported

number of rapes recorded by SOFA July 2010 to October 2011

246 cases of rape

35 cases of gang rape

148 (62%) against girls aged 3-17

Haiti 2010 vs Chile 2010

- magnitude

-deaths

-GDP per capita

H: 7.0, C: 8.8

H: 160,000 est, C: 550 est

H: $608, C: $12,640

link to Park model

- greater disruption -- more vulnerable

- longer to recover, poor capacity to cope

- full recovery not achieved

- planning for future underway, limited implementation

- aid agencies should see relief and recovery phase as one, focusing on recovery from start/event

Primary impacts: % of Haitians living under national poverty line

59%

Primary impacts: % of Haitians living under national extreme poverty line

24%

Primary impacts: how many hospitals/healthcare centres collapsed in Port-au-Prince?

8

Primary impacts: cost of structural damage?

no buffering capacity, damage around 2X GDP

Primary impacts: damage to manufacturing facilities in clothing industry -- accounts for what fraction of Haiti's exports?

2/3

Estimated how many jobs lost as a result of the quake

1 in 5 (aka 20%)

Primary impact: frequent..

power cuts

Secondary impacts: 2012, what percent had social assistance benefits

8

Secondary impacts: effect of earthquake on GDP?

5.3% contraction in GDP

- growth rate slows, unemployment rate rises --> economic hardship

Secondary impacts: poverty percentage reduction over last decade in urban areas?

31-24%

Secondary impacts: GDP per capita average fallen by........ per year 1971-2013

0.7%

Secondary impacts: uncleared rubble on roads and knock-on impact?

98% rubble on roads uncleared 6 months after

-restricts aid access

Secondary impacts: 2014 displacement camps

over 170,000 still in camps (from 1.5mill peak)

Secondary impacts: 2014 primary education

23% children not in primary school

Secondary impacts: 2014 access to electricity

70% lacked

Secondary impacts: 2014 food security

600,000 still food insecure

Secondary impacts: positives (economic)

-50% debris removed, new building codes established, part of debt written off, agencies resolved to ensure sustainable recovery

Secondary impacts: 2011-2014 (positive)

-real growth rate

-GDP per capita growth rate

-3.8%

-2.4&

-- spurred by high levels of reconstruction aid and remittances

Secondary impacts: (positives) Haitian diaspora

diaspora - dispersion/spread of people from original homeland

since 2010, Haitian diaspora has contributed over $10bn to post-earthquake recovery (e.g. though remittances)

Final cost of event around...

$8bn

Primary impacts: literacy rate 2010

53%

Primary impacts: % access to safe drinking water

30

Primary impacts: % no access to proper sanitation

80

Primary impacts: doctors per Haitians

2.5/10,000

Primary impacts: no. of deaths (disputed)

around 230,000

Primary impacts: no. homeless

1.5 million

Primary impacts: no. killed by collapsed buildings (codes)

200,000

Secondary impacts: no. of (inter)national humanitarian and aid agencies operating

-comments on fragmentation/coordination

8,000

-limited coordination, dense urban area --> Port-au-Prince received aid from multiple sources, viewed agencies as a collective, distinction difficult for Haitians

Secondary impacts: Cholera outbreak

-no. killed

-no. affected

-8,000

-648,000

--UN peacekeepers cholera Nepal to Haiti

Secondary impacts: no. provided with food rations

4.3 million

Secondary impacts: prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS

120,000 HIV/AIDS positive

- increased risk due to gender inequality, sexual violence rates, biological vulnerability, gendering of poverty (end of month prostitution)

Secondary impacts: no. of 1.5 mill internally displaces which left camps and relocated

1.4 mill

Secondary impacts: positives (social)

water and sanitation supplied to 1.7 million, primary education rose to 90%, decrease in under-5 mortality rate by 11%

Primary impacts: UN experienced largest ever loss of life in a single day - how many died?

102 staff members

Primary impacts: percentage of Haiti's central government employees killed

(destruction of government buildings)

17%

Primary impacts: governmental building collapse

-police HQ

-60% of government buildings collapsed

-Palais Legislatif

-Destruction of main prison -- 4,000 escaped prisoners

Primary impacts: confusion of authority leading to what issues with air control

air traffic congestion, prioritisation issues of flights, complicating early relief work

Primary impacts: work of MSF and USA

MSF help casualties, USA coordinated aid distribution

Primary impacts: why was there looting and sporadic violence?

delays in aid distribution

Secondary impacts: how was air control dealt with?

US engineers and diving teams cleared debris --> port operational --> waiting ships able to unload aid

Secondary impacts: aid sent by USA (inc. no. of troops)

ships, helicopters, 10,000 troops, search and rescue teams, $100 million in aid

Secondary impacts: what did the UK Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) do?

raised over $100 million

Secondary impacts: evaluation of aid/donations

-2 yrs later

-7 yrs later

- 43% of $4.59 bn promised in aid received and distributed

- 48% of $13 bn donated reached Haiti

Secondary impacts: no. of people moved by Haitian government from Port-au-Prince to less damaged cities

235,000

Secondary impacts: what political factors threatened the ongoing recovery process?

tensions arose between government, newly-created Interim Haiti Recovery Commission and outside agencies (e.g. NGOs)

CARE and Save the Children independent evaluation of the Haiti earthquake humanitarian response Jan 2011 - Overview of key findings

- 8 months after disaster, initial positive --> mixed reaction

--humanitarian activities unsustainable, government/humanitarian community not meeting needs/expectations. Haitians not able to reach goals/move on from state of emergency, basic subsistence needs not met

- lack of knowledge regarding roles and responsibilities of individuals, government, local and international community

--blurring of roles/lacking distinction

Quotes from CARE and Save the Children independent evaluation of Haiti earthquake humanitarian response Jan 2011

"basic needs were met immediately but lacking now" "promises are not kept"

CARE and Save the Children independent evaluation of Haiti earthquake humanitarian response Jan 2011 - results

perceptions of focus groups

GOVERNMENT - 2% positive change, 41% negative change

NGOs - 74% positive change, 39% negative change

- negative responses attributed to NGOs dealt primarily with basic needs not met, inappropriate aid, decrease in self-sufficiency, false promises, poor communication, poor management of programmes (corruption)

Protection and gender

-failure to protect vulnerable group - women - by agencies

-increased no. of unaccompanied children on streets

--lack of functioning education facilities in urban (port-au-prince)

-increased early pregnancies in displacement camps

-alleged aid for sexual favours and corruption through cash for work

-increase in gender based violence (agencies slow to implement protection measures)

2010 what did the World Bank do?

cancellation of Haiti's remaining US $36 million in debt

2010 what did the IMF do?

cancelled Haiti's $286 million debt

--so Haiti can direct more money towards reconstruction

Gini coefficient Haiti 2012

0.61