Case Study: A Comparison of the Haiti and Christchurch Earthquakes

Notable earthquakes for comparison:
- Haiti Earthquake: January 2010, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
- Christchurch Earthquakes: September and February 2010-2011, Christchurch, New Zealand

Haiti Earthquake:
- Location: Port-au-Prince, Haiti
- Date and Time: January 2010
- Magnitude: 7.0
- Depth of Focus: 13 km
- Deaths: Estimated 200,000
Christchurch Earthquakes:
- Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
- Date and Time:
- September 2010:
  - Magnitude: 7.1
  - Depth of Focus: 5 km
  - Deaths: 0
- February 2011:
  - Time: 12:51

Earthquake Location	Date and Local Time	Magnitude	Depth of Focus	Deaths
Port-au-Prince, Haiti	January 2010	7.0	13 km	200,000 (estimated)
Christchurch, New Zealand	September 2010	7.1	5 km	0
Christchurch, New Zealand	February 2011	6.3	5km	185

Comparison Insights:
- The significant difference in death tolls cannot be solely attributed to:
- Magnitude of the earthquakes
- Time of day when earthquakes struck
- Depth of focus
- The epicenter of Haiti's earthquake was 25 km from the city, while Christchurch's 2011 earthquake had an epicenter only 10 km from the city center.
- Population densities:
- Port-au-Prince had a population of approximately 2.5 million.
- Christchurch had a population of about 400,000.

Tectonic Setting:
- Resulted from movement along a fault on the destructive plate boundary between the Caribbean and North American plates.
- Depth of movement was shallow, resulting in amplified shaking.

Government estimates claimed 316,000 deaths; however, other estimates suggest 200,000.
More than 100,000 individuals were estimated to be injured.
Up to 1.5 million people left homeless.
Casualties and destruction data:
- Hospitals and Government Buildings Destroyed: Yes
- Residences Destroyed: 250,000
- Commercial Buildings Destroyed: 30,000
Infrastructure impact:
- Disruption to power and water supplies, loss of communication.
- Aid was delayed due to destruction of airport control tower, port damage, and blocked roads.
- Looting and violence hampered relief efforts, impacting safety of food and water supplies.
Cholera outbreaks caused by poor sanitation in temporary camps led to over 3,000 deaths in 2010, with further outbreaks resulting in about 8,600 deaths by 2015.

Location: struck the densely populated capital city of Port-au-Prince.
Liquefaction: Much of the city built on loose sediments, leading to amplified seismic waves.
Infrastructure:
- Haiti had no building regulations; most infrastructure built cheaply and precariously.
- Heavy concrete buildings collapsed due to inadequate support reinforcement.
- Many residents lived in makeshift shacks on unstable slopes.
Lack of preparedness due to minimal earthquake risk perception; last significant earthquake occurred in 1770.
Emergency services and military response were limited: no army and very few emergency service vehicles or personnel present.

Dependency on Overseas Aid:
- Poor resilience as recovery relied heavily on foreign assistance.
- Three years after the earthquake, only half of debris cleared and ~280,000 people remained in camps, many without proper sanitation.
- Economic impact: One-fifth of the population lost jobs, especially in clothing factories (largest employer).
Estimated economic cost of the earthquake was less than $US 9 billion.
- Few individuals insured against losses, leading to high rebuilding costs without coverage.

2010 and 2011 Differences:
- Most damage attributed to the 2011 aftershock following the 2010 earthquake which had already weakened buildings.
- Shaking intensity for the 2011 earthquake was more than four times that of Haiti, resulting in significant structural failures.

Destruction overview:
- 1,000 major buildings destroyed.
- Liquefaction caused many foundation failures, affecting houses in eastern suburbs.
- Notable collapse: Grand Chancellor hotel dropped by 1 metre on one side.
Casualties:
- More than half of the 185 deaths occurred in one building that collapsed and caught fire.
- At least 1,500 injured.
Infrastructure impact:
- Water and sewage systems damaged, power cuts experienced.
- Restoration of services occurred quickly, many within a week; phone communication was disrupted only briefly.
- Liquefaction raised road surfaces, complicating rescue operations.
Total economic cost of earthquake: approximately $US 40 billion, mainly due to rebuilding and insurance losses.
International aid was prompt due to undamaged airport facilities.