Geography IGCSE - Haiti Earthquake

Haiti location

An island in the caribbean sea which shares border with the Dominican Republic

Haiti pop.

12 million (2025)

Haiti 2010 earthquake

It started on the 12 January, 2010 with a magnitude of 7.0 → earthquake’s epicentre was 25 km west of Port-au-Prince → at a depth of 13km → lasted 12 days → total of 52 aftershocks → no advanced warning had been given

Causes BP1

• Haiti located on a conservative plate boundary → between Caribbean Plate + North American Plate

• Plates sliding past each other → due to friction → became locked → causes pressure to build over time

• Earthquake occurred along Enriquillo-Plantain Garden Fault Zone → known fault line in tectonically active region

Causes BP2

• Plates had been stuck for over 200 years

• 12 January 2010 → pressure was suddenly released

• Caused magnitude 7.0 earthquake → epicentre near Léogâne → 25 km from Port-au-Prince → densely populated capital

Causes BP3

• Shallow focus of 13 km → seismic waves caused severe surface shaking

• Shallow depth contributed to extensive damage + high death toll → especially in areas with poor infrastructure

Primary + Secondary Impacts (BP1 → social)

Over 230,000 people were killed + 300,000 injured → many crushed beneath poorly constructed buildings → due to lack of building regulations → over 1 million people became homeless → entire neighbourhoods → particularly in Port-au-Prince → reduced to rubble → hospitals + schools collapsed → worsening situation → including Hôpital de la Trinité → a major hospital → destroyed → limiting emergency treatment

Primary + Secondary Impacts (BP1 → economic + environmental)

Damage costs were estimated at $14 billion → more than Haiti’s entire annual GDP → over 30,000 commercial buildings destroyed → causes massive business disruption → job losses → airports, ports + roads were damaged → slows aid → halting trade → environmental destruction → landslides near Léogâne → caused by shaking + loss of vegetation → blocked roads → damaging rural areas

Primary + Secondary Impacts (BP1 → economic + social)

Cholera outbreak → emerged weeks after → killing over 10,000 people → due to poor sanitation + contaminated water supplies → widespread trauma + PTSD affected survivors → especially children who lost family members → breakdown in law + order → led to looting + violence in refugee camps → worsens social instability → long term economic growth was severely set back

Planning (BP1 → before)

Had no national earthquake preparedness plan → little to no seismic monitoring + early warning systems in place → building regulations → poorly enforced → most homes + public buildings → e.g. schools + hospitals → not earthquake resistant → public awareness + education very limited → most people didn’t know how to respond safely → emergency services underfunded + under-equipped → only 25 doctors per 100,000 people → leaving Haiti vulnerable before

Planning (BP2 → during)

Rescue efforts began quickly → progress slow due to blocked roads + lack of machinery to remove rubble → international search + rescue teams arrived from UK, USA → help find survivors → emergency medical care → provided by NGOs → e.g. Doctors Without Borders → but hospitals overwhelmed → food, water + shelter were distributed → demand far exceeded supply → over 1 million homeless

Planning (BP3 → after)

Focus shifted to rebuilding safer infrastructure → international aid supported over 1,300 temporary learning spaces + thousands of new homes → government + NGOs aimed to build earthquake resistant structures → improves future resilience → programs created to train people in construction + health services → helps boost employment + recovery → public education improved → campaigns on earthquake safety → increases future preparedness