Haiti Earthquake 2010

Haiti Earthquake 2010 BY SHIV MIRPURI + WILL MATTHEWS

Over the half-term Shiv and I made a powerpoint presentation on the Haiti Earthquake which occurred in 2010. Here it is.1

INTRODUCTIONFast FactsIsland nation in the Caribbean discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492.Haiti won its independence from France on Jan. 1st , 1804Haiti makes up one third of the island of Hispaniola. The eastern two thirds of the island is the Dominican Republic.Population of nearly 10 million.It is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.Diseases such as AIDS, typhoid, malaria and hepatitis are prevalent.80% of the population is living under the poverty line.

Haiti is an LEDC, which stands for Less Economically Developed Country. It is part of the island of Hispaniola which is in the Caribbean with its neighboring country being the Dominican Republic.The earthquake occurred on the 12th January 2010 at 4:53pm local time, the epicenter being 25km away from Port Au Prince, the capital.2

INTRODUCTIONMost Haitians live on less than $2 a day.The Haiti telecommunications infrastructure is among the least developed In Latin America and the Caribbean.Haitis capital is Port-au-Prince, a coastal city with about 2 million habitants living in slum conditions - mostly tightly-packed, poorly built, concrete buildings. Approximately half of Haitis population cannot read or write.

CAUSESHaiti is situated to the north of the Caribbean Plate, on a transform plate boundary with the North American Plate. The North American Plate is moving west. This movement is not smooth and there is friction between the North American Plate and the Caribbean Plate. Pressure builds between the two plates until it is released as an earthquake.

On 12th Jun. 2010, a magnitude 7 earthquake hit Haiti at 16:53, local time. The earthquakes epicenter was 16km south-west of Port-au-Prince, the capital. There had been no major earthquakes in Haiti for 200 years.

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SOCIAL IMPACTS316,000 people died and around 300,000 people were injured.1.5 million people were left homeless .250,000 homes and 30,000 other buildings, including the Presidents Palace were destroyed or badly damaged.Hospitals and schools as well as the airport tower were badly damaged.Large number of bodies meant that diseases became a serious problem.The main prison was destroyed and 4000 inmates escaped.Looting became a major problem.

Due to the earthquake 316,000 people were killed due to a shortage of doctors and 300,000 people were injured. Over 1,500,000 people were left without homes and had to evacuated. Since Haiti is a LEDC its buildings were poorly built so they werent very resistant. Many hospitals and schools were destroyed so the children couldnt be educated. There was a large amount of bodies which meant that diseases, especially cholera became a serious problem. The main prison in Haiti was destroyed so 400 inmates were able to escape. Looting became a major problem due to the slow distribution of resources which led to sporadic violence.

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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS There were 19 millions cubic meters of rubble and debris in Port-Au-Prince.Contamination of natural water sources caused life threatening poisons and cholera.Haitis small agricultural industry was affected due to the displacement of topsoil, which destroyed the populations access to healthy produce. Haiti lost 98% of its forest covers.Sea levels in local areas changed, with some parts of the land sinking below the sea.

There was 19 cubic meters of rubble and debris in Port-Au-Prince since Haiti had no real construction standards and there were only a few earthquake resistant buildings. The water was contaminated because of all the dead which caused more cholera and poisons. Haitis small agricultural industry was effected due to the displacement of topsoil, which destroyed the populations access to health grown produce. Haiti ended up losing 98% of its forest covers which means that there isnt much oxygen travelling around.6

ECONOMIC IMPACTSThe earthquake resulted in buildings being destroyed, causing $2.3 billion in damages.Transport and communication links were badly damaged.The clothing industry, which accounts for two-thirds of Haitis export, was damaged.Around 1 in 5 people ended up losing their jobs.Hospitals and schools as well as the airport tower were badly damaged.Farms were destroyed so there was a national food shortage.600,000 people fled to the countryside putting strain on rural areas.

It cost 2.3 billion dollars to rebuild all the damage caused by the earthquake. The transport and communication links were badly damaged because roads were blocked with debris and road surfaces were broken. The main clothing industry was badly damaged and around 1 in 5 people lost their jobs because so many buildings were destroyed. 7

SHORT-TERM RESPONSESNeighboring Dominican Republic was the first country to provide emergency water, medical supplies and heavy machinery.The major quake sent 33 after shocks ranging in multitude from 4.2 to 5.9 on the Richter Scale.The Red Cross dispatched a relief team from Geneva and the UNs World Food Program flew in with emergency food aid.Temporary field hospitals were set up.$100 million in aid given by USA and $330 million by EU. People around the world pledged money over their mobile phones.UN troops and police were sent to help distribute and keep order.Rescue teams arrived from many countries e.g. Iceland.

However because the airport was damaged it took up to 48 hours for help to arrive.8

LONG-TERM RESPONSESIn Nov. 2010, Hurricane Tomas caused the refugee camps to flood, hampering the recovery efforts.$382 million were received in pledges to the International Haiti Reconstruction Fund but recovery progress was slow.Aid response challenges to the outbreak of cholera in Oct. 2010. By July 2011, 5,899 people had died and 216,000 infected.Drugs were supplied to cholera treatment facilities.Tools and seeds were given to farming households.Free medical care provided and information given about preparing for future disasters.Construction of affordable housing.Cash for Work programs to clear rubble.

CONCLUSIONIn conclusion, Haitis people and economy were devastated by this earthquake. It put an already struggling economy into an even worse situation. Most people were left homeless and unemployed and cholera ended up being the biggest issue to tackle, together with the reconstruction process. At this point, Haitis economy still lies in the hands of foreign nations giving aid, for Haiti is in no position to start generating revenue of its own.

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Quiz1. Where is Haiti? On the boundary of the Caribbean and North American Plate.2. What caused the earthquake?The rubbing of the two plates.3. What is the name of the island it is on?Hispaniola.4. What was it on the Richter Scale?It was 7.0 on the Richter Scale.5. How many people died?220,000 died.

Quiz6. What percent of the forest was lost?98%7. How much did it cost to rebuild all the damage?It cost $2.3 billion8. Which country helped first?The Dominican Republic.9. After one year how many camps were there?There was 1,300 camps.10. Why was it so devastating?Since it was a LEDC.