Multi-hazardous environment

Port au Prince, Haiti

City facts

• centre of export; coffee/sugar

• food processing plants

• tourist economy

• high unemployment and underemployment

• Cite Soliel

  • slums

  • very vunerable

  • 400,000 residents

Physical factors

• tropical storm tracks/flooding

• on conservative plate boundary

  • tsunamis

  • earthquakes

• mountainous terrains/landslides

Human factors

• GPD $2,900 (LIC)

• population of 11.4 million

• median age of 25 years

• 55% catholic, 29% protostant, 80% elements of Vudu

• 63rd highest birth rate

• life expectancy of 65 years

• 61.7% literacy rate

• 51.2% youth

Past history

• colonial past; french, Spanish and British

• the first free slave republic

• military dictatorships

Current situation

• organised crime syndicates→ 60% of PaP

• GDP is shrinking

• large scale deforestation

• production of goods reduced, few exports

• murder/kidnap/rape by organised crime groups

• corrupt government and police force

Why are cities multi-hazardous?

• mainly in LIC’s

• large centres of unplanned housing occupied by urban poor

• rapid urbanisation→ leads to deforestation

• slums built on marginal land and dangerous sites

• high population density

• hard to manage disaster response