Earthquake Case Study: Haiti

Where did it happen? Haiti is a small island located in the Caribbean, south east of the U.S. and east of

Cuba. Its capital city is Port-au-Prince. Haiti is 27750 square kilometres in size and has a population of 10.6 million.

Figure1.1

When did it happen?

Date: Tuesday January 12th 2010 Time: 4:53pm (local time) Duration: 30 seconds, eight aftershocks within the two hours of the earthquake Earthquake hit at 4:53 pm and lasted for about 30 seconds, there was 8 aftershocks

in the two hours after the main earthquake. Search and rescue happened right away with locals and medics helping the injured.

Why did it happen?

The earthquake occurred because the North American plate sliding past the Caribbean plate at a conservative plate margin.

Both plates move in the same direction but one moves faster than the other. The pressure that was built up because of the friction between these two plates

eventually released causing this magnitude 7 earthquake.

What happened?

Figure 1.1 shows the perceived shaking of Haiti when this disastrous earthquake hit the land.

Before: Did not have any earthquake proof buildings, was in great poverty so it there was not enough money to spend on earthquake prevention planning.

During: Search and rescue was the first response. Local people were the majority of rescuers but specially trained medics with sniffer dogs and high tech heat sensitive equipment were flown in from MEDCs.

After: ¾ of the damaged buildings have been inspected and repaired. 200000 people have been rewarded with cash and food for clearing rubble.

Planning: Did not have money to plan for an earthquake and the government was not very stable

Preparation: Did not prepare in any way, most buildings collapsed as they were not earthquake proofed. The government ignored the building regulations so more damage was created

Prediction: There was always a prediction that Haiti would have major earthquake but a specific date was not included.

No evacuation or warning Local and Regional:

Local residents helped with the clearing of rubble and participated in search parties to rescue the people.

Cuba has sent hundreds of doctors to Haiti, one of the first responses to the earthquake

Venezuela and Haiti had a very fond friendship and they announced a 1 billion fund to construct 4 power plants and an oil refinery

International Aid:

U.S. was the one of the largest foreign donors to Haiti after the earthquake. They gave Haiti 712 million dollars in aid

Red cross sent many trucks to help with aid including 50 hospital beds Other countries allowed Haitian refugees to enter

Summary of the hazard event: The magnitude 7 earthquake that hit Haiti was a devastating tragedy. It took the country that was already in great poverty to a more severe level. This disaster occurred because of the North American plate sliding past the Caribbean plate at a conservative plate margin. The country was not prepared for this tragic incident and it did not have the money to rebuild what the earthquake destroyed like many other countries. However it got a lot of foreign and regional aid to recover.

Who was affected by the hazard event?

Economic:

Reliable industries and structures were destroyed

The earthquake created a damage at an estimated total of 7.8 billion Hundreds of thousands of buildings plummeted to the ground including homes and

the presidential palace So much rubble and debris was left that it would take a 1000 trucks working 24

hours a day for up to five years to clear everything The clothing industry which accounts for two thirds of Haiti’s exports, reported

structural damage at manufacturing facilities.

Social:

230000 people were killed 300000 people were injured 1 million people were injured 8 aftershocks in the 2 hours after the earthquake lead to more chaos

Environmental:

Sea level in some areas changed resulting in the land sinking below the sea The roads were littered with cracks and fault lines.

Political:

Government was not in proper structure before the earthquake and that just made it fall further down, sending Haiti in further shock.