Earthquakes - Haiti 2010 Case Study

When did it occur?

12th January 2010, at 4:53PM

Location(s) affected - name settlements

• Epicentre near the town of Léogâne

• Approximately 25km South West of the Capital Port au Prince (which has a total population 2,618,894 which includes the metropolitan area as well

Focus (km below surface):

Occurred 6.2 miles (9.92 km) - relatively shallow, therefore less dissipation of waves, so greater destruction

Epicentre (distance to nearest settement):

• 25km South West of Port au Prince
  Close to the town of Léogâne, and caused the destruction of 90% of the buildings in the area

Magnitude:

Magnitude of 7.0

Intensity on Moment Mercalli Scale:

IX (out of 12 total - so 9/12)

Causes (e.g. Plate boundary type with detail about distance of movement):

• Lies on the conservative plate boundary between the Caribbean and the North American plate boundaries

• The Caribbean plate moves at around 2cm per year in relation to the North American plate

• The fault had been locked for over 250 years, but in January 2010 its energy was released along 65 km of the fault, causing land movement of 1.8m.

Effects onto people

• 3mn people affected by earthquake

• Estimated 250,000 people died as a result

• Around 300,000 were injured because of the earthquake

• 250,000 residences collapsed or severely damaged

• 800,000 cases of cholera, of which 9,000 have died

Effects on the environment

• The earthquake produced two 3 metre high tsunamis, which helped to smash buildings, and kill a total of 200,000 people

• Around 85% of the population work in agriculture, accounting for a total of 26% of total national income

• 5-6 million live in rural areas, and the destruction of roads, bridges, and fishing ports had a significant effect on their way of life

• Underground pipes which carried waste were ruptured, causing waste to contaminate water sources, killing fish, and causing floating debris to stack up, destroying the habitats of the area

• Thus destroyed the economic livelihoods of many people, and by destroying the local habitats, the livelihoods of people, with already a low GDP were harmed even more, and by doing so created the cycle of lack of ability to recover from the impacts

Effectiveness of Long-Term Planning Before the 2010 Haiti Earthquake:

• No enforced buildings regulations or earthquake resistant buildings - most buildings made of weak concrete & poorly constructed - very vulnerable

• No effective emergency response plan - emergency services were underfunded, poorly equipped (likely due to corruption), untrained

• Public had limited understanding of earthquake risks - due to no regular earthquake drills or education on how to respond to an earthquake

• Many people lived in overcrowded, unsafe and informal housing on unstable ground → more vulnerable

• No proper monitoring systems or seismograph networks (because of how poor Haiti is and technologically stunted), mean there were no early warning systems (like sirens, mobile alerts)

Immediate Responses:

• Due to the port being damaged, aid was slow to arrive.

• The USA sent rescue teams and 10,000 troops.

• Bottled water and purification tablets were provided.

• 235,000 people were moved away from Port-au-Prince to less-damaged cities.

• £20 million was donated by the UK government.

Long-term Responses:

• As one of the poorest countries on Earth, Haiti relied on overseas aid.

• Although the response was slow, new homes were built to a higher standard. Over one million people still lived in temporary shelters one year after the earthquake.

• The port needed rebuilding, which required a large amount of investment.

What was done to reduce the impact of this earthquake - before, during, after the earthquake?

• The US sent ships, and around 10,000 troops to search, along with $100 million in Aid

• The UN sent troops, and police, setting up a food aid cluster, to feed 2 million people

• Iceland had an emergency response team in the country within 24 hours, showing the level of urgency of the time

• Low GDP per capita of only $819 USD in Haiti, showing their lack of money to respond to the earthquake

• 810,000 still live in camps provided by the charities, and 700,000 returned from the camps

• 95% of children have now returned, showing the extent of the issue, & the impact which NGO help has had on the area

• Low of GDP per capita, only $819, meaning the Haitian gov were unable to effusively adapt buildings, and enforce regulation to help with the spread of the disease, or the negative effects of the earthquake

Why did so many people die in the Haiti earthquake?

• The earthquake was shallow, causing seismic waves to maintain more energy over a shorter distance.

• It struck the most densely populated area of Haiti, including Port-au-Prince.

• Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

• Buildings in Port-au-Prince were poorly constructed and not earthquake-resistant.

• Port-au-Prince has a population of 3 million, many living in slums due to rapid urbanization.

• Haiti has only one airport and port, both severely damaged.

• Aid was delayed at the airport due to limited trucks and personnel to distribute it.

• Rescue teams took up to 48 hours to arrive, and local people had to dig with bare hands.

• A severe shortage of doctors resulted in many deaths from untreated injuries.