Ho-Hsuan HsuehApril 8, 2012

The Haitian earthquake: Why was it so deadly?

In January 12, 2010, a huge earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter scale struck Haiti. Two hundred twenty thousand people were estimated to have died from the natural disaster, while over three hundred thousand more were injured. Although such destruction to some extent was unavoidable due to natural causes, certain factors were particularly responsible for how devastating the earthquake was to Haiti. These factors include geographical, economic, and historical aspects of Haiti.

Geographically, Haiti is very susceptible to earthquakes. Haiti is part of the island Hispaniola, which also consists of the Dominican Republic. It is situated amidst Cuba and Puerto Rico, between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Haiti also lies on the Caribbean plate, surrounded to the east by the North American and South American plate. Because both of these (North and South American) plates are moving west while Haiti is locked between, conflicting plate boundaries occur. Figure 1 depicts the transform boundary movement occurring between the North American and Caribbean plate mostly to the north and west of Haiti, while to the east and south of Haiti convergent plate boundary movement is shown.

[Figure 1] Tectonic plates surrounding Haiti

[Figure 2] Plate boundary movements

Figure 2 shows the direction of boundary movement between the North American and Caribbean plate. As the Caribbean plate is converging upon the North American plate in the western area, this causes the whole plate to turn and thus the eastern area of the Caribbean plate pushes downwards. Transform

plate boundaries such as the one depicted to the west of Haiti occur when two plates slide past each other, while convergent plate boundaries occur when two plates move apart at a certain area.

[Figure 3] Fault lines and epicenter of Haiti earthquake

These plate boundaries seem to occur a large distance away from the earthquake epicenter. As seen in Figure 3, the epicenter of the Haitian earthquake was located very near Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, in contrast to the plate boundaries seen in figure 2. However, it is not simply the movement of these plates that cause earthquakes. The tectonic plates that make up earth’s crusts are constantly moving very slowly, but edges of plates grinding against each other sometimes become stuck from friction. This causes build-up of tension, until it overcomes friction. This ‘slip’ occurs on a fault, and the release of energy from slips is felt through earthquakes. In Figure 3, faults are presented by fault lines, which mark faults that occur on the surface of the earth. Because of the slip occurring on the Enriquillo-Plaintain Garden fault, the earthquake epicenter was near Port-au-Prince. The epicenter of an earthquake is the point on the surface of the located exactly above the focus of the earthquake.

This geographical overview of Haiti indicates the main cause for the severity of the earthquake on the Richter scale. However, the magnitude of the earthquake was not the sole cause for the huge destruction the Haitian earthquake caused. Let us compare the effects of the Haitian earthquake compared to the effects of the Tohoku earthquake. Although the Tohoku earthquake measured 9.0 in magnitude on the Richter scale, 2.0 higher than the magnitude of the Haitian earthquake, various differences in health care, infrastructure, and other important economic foundations draw apart both

countries’ ability to handle the situation in terms of self-recovery. For example, Japan’s production of goods and services did not suffer heavily, experiencing a 2.3% increase in economic growth 5 months after the disaster occurred. Haiti, on the other hand, experienced a negative 5.1% decline in economic growth from the earthquake that year (year Haitian earthquake occurred). Certain economic factors in Haiti are less developed than in Japan, causing this difference in recovery.

In the Western Hemisphere, Haiti is the country struggling most economically. In Figure 4, compared to 4 other countries that make up the Greater Antilles Haiti had the lowest GDP per capita. Other economic indicators of Haiti also suggest a poor economic status. For example, when comparing various major economic indicators between MEDC and LEDC countries with Haiti, the level of the country’s development can be seen.

[Figure 4] GDP per capita of 5 Greater Antilles countries

[Figure 5] MEDC/LEDC economic indicator comparison

[Figure 5] Haiti MEDC/LEDC economic indicator comparison

In Figure 5, a comparison of Haiti and MEDC countries Taiwan and Norway, as well as LEDC country Niger, reveals Haiti to be a Less Economically Developed Country, or LEDC. This is largely shown through its drastically smaller GDP per capita compared to the More Economically Developed Countries Taiwan and Norway, similar but slightly higher than Niger’s GDP per capita. Haiti’s poor

economy is also seen through its low literacy rate and total fertility rate, both considerably worse than Taiwan and Norway. A high total fertility rate would suggest income instability the population of a country, meaning that larger families are necessary for income support from children (daughters/sons) working at a young age. Low literacy rate would suggest a population with very limited access to education because of financial reasons and/or desire to put children into work at a young age.

[Figure 6] Haiti population pyramid 2010

The population pyramid of Haiti in 2010, as shown in Figure 6, depicts this reasoning clearer. The graph shows a steep exponential decay from oldest to youngest people of Haiti. This means that although birth rate is high, death rate is also high as few percentage of the population live over 50 years old, suggesting high infant mortality rate. This concave profile also reflects short life expectancy from the low percentage of the population living over 50 years old.

This economic overview of Haiti outlines the poor economic status of the country and provides a general understanding of Haiti’s disadvantages to dealing with such a catastrophe such as the Haiti earthquake. However, several specific problems within the economic system of Haiti had greater impacts on the destructive level of the earthquake than others. The state of the country’s health care, infrastructure, education, and government planning at the time of the earthquake were key determinants.

Before the Haitian earthquake occurred in 2010, it is estimated that 46% of the population of Haiti did not have health care access. This was because of either financial reasons or lack of hospitals/health centers located near them. Drug access is subsequently another issue, with 0 percent of Haiti’s population having access to essential drugs to treat minor wounds or diseases. Not only affordability of health care and medical attention a major concern for the people

of Haiti, but availability was also a main problem as well. With over three hundred thousand injured Haitians to attend to, the country’s hospitals and health care system received tremendous pressure. Days after the aftershock of the earthquake, around one thousand people would be awaiting surgery at a hospital. As many as twenty thousand people were estimated to have died from gangrene and sepsis, caused by infections that could turn deadly if left untreated. Thus, Haiti’s tremulous health care system was largely the cause for unnecessary deaths after the earthquake, with survivors dying from wounds while waiting for medical attention.

Haiti’s infrastructure was another key factor impacting the level of destruction and deaths caused by the Haitian earthquake. According to Dr. Wassim Ghannoum, 2012, an assisting professor studying civil engineering who travelled to Port-au-Prince to examine its infrastructure, “We saw the worst case scenario in substandard construction. Usually we use deformed steel bars in concrete, which helps them bond to the concrete. Most of the bars we saw, maybe 80 percent, were smooth so they just slid through the concrete. There was practically no confining steel to keep the concrete intact during shaking. The concrete itself was very sandy, with very little cement. We could crumble the concrete with our hands.” The underlying structure of buildings in Haiti was an even more important cause for the huge damage inflicted by the earthquake. Collapsed buildings could not only crush people inside, but also reduce the sources of shelter available to survivors, ultimately causing higher death toll. Only around 25 percent of buildings that were damaged in the Haitian earthquake were estimated to be repairable, while at least 68 percent of buildings damaged in the Tohoku earthquake could be repaired. The majority of Japanese buildings are equipped with vibration control devices, which can absorb a large amount of shock caused from earthquake impacts. Figure 7 depicts the extent to which such devices can absorb the movements of the building by moving with the earthquake, as opposed to against it. If such technology was implemented in Haiti, the level of destruction would have been less severe, and more lives could have been saved.

[Figure 7] Vibration control devices

Lastly, education and resource management played a key role in the number of deaths and destruction the Haitian earthquake brought about. Haiti’s literacy rate, as shown previously in Figure 5, is very low compared to MEDC countries Taiwan and Norway in that only 52.9 percent of the population is able to read and write. Literacy rate provides a basic understanding of access to education in a country. In standard MEDC-level education, most schools require students to practice drills, such as earthquake and fire drills. Education also inadvertently provides the basic knowledge of appropriate resources to prepare for in the event of a disaster. However, because almost half of the people of Haiti cannot read and write, suggesting lack of education, these basic means of

survival during an earthquake are simply unknown. Subsequently, those who are not prepared have a much lower chance of survival.

In analyzing the state of Haiti’s health care, infrastructure, and education on preparation for disaster before the earthquake, various comparisons with more economically developed countries, as well as Japan’s situation in the Tohoku earthquake, highlighted the lack of resources to improve these areas. For example, improvements in technology for the infrastructure of buildings in Haiti could have greatly reduced the death toll. Better distribution of government funding in these areas as well as plans for preparation of a disaster in the form of risk mitigation could have averted the terrible state of Haiti, thus softening the devastating blow of the earthquake. Japan’s government took control over its risk knowledge, and effectively provided an effective plan such as in maintaining building code of infrastructure and regulating teaching of knowledge for certain drills and actions in schools. In contrast, Haiti’s corrupt government is notorious for taking away funds and resources directed towards the people of Haiti. In fact, much of the international support given towards Haiti after the earthquake, when left unsupervised, would only reach the pockets of corrupt officials. Upon being questioned about the government of Haiti’s officials, Jean-Louis Jerome, a construction worker whose home was destroyed, stated that “If you give the aid to the person at the top, he will just put it in his pocket.”

But even with the best government allocation of funds and resources towards risk mitigation, Haiti would have faced limitations because of their huge debt. Before the Haitian earthquake struck, Haiti held approximately 36 million dollars (USD) in debt. The country’s long history of debt started by their revolt against slavery under the French rule from 1791 to 1803, which led to their recognition as the first black republic. However, France forced Haiti to compensate for their loss of property or face invasion. This process took 120 years to repay, causing widespread economic instability among the population as well as stunted growth in important country (economic) indicators, including income (poverty), life expectancy, and education. Two centuries later, Haiti was plunged into harsh dictatorship and military rule by François “Papa Doc” Duvalier seized control over the country. His regime centered around striking fear into the people of Haiti, as well as heavy corruption. Duvalier’s actions of pocketing aid money led to a suspension in aid from the US. And after the US donated 15,000 tons of subsidized rice to Haiti, farmers were forced out of employment because of the cheap US rice driving away competition. Therefore, such long-term detrimental effects of Haiti’s debt and economic troubles carry a huge impact on the country’s state and risk mitigation during the earthquake.

The main reason for the Haitian earthquake to cause so much destruction and deaths was primarily a combination of poor government risk mitigation and funding towards education, infrastructure, health care, and other crucial economic bases for increasing the chances of survival of its people. Although Haiti’s history of debt caused drawbacks to the amount of governmental funding available in these areas, the damage done to its people and economy could have been alleviated had the government practiced responsibility over the wealth of the country and international aid funds. However, Haiti’s gradual recovery in the

past two years were much owed to the extensive donations made internationally to Haiti, and interventions made by the US, for example, to ensure that the money be spent correctly. Volunteers clearing building debris enabled the temporary employment of 300,000 people, while allowing over 1,000 families to move back to their homes. Haiti’s position on the earth’s tectonic plates makes the country prone to future earthquakes. If the government of Haiti is kept under a watchful eye internationally, effective changes in risk mitigation, infrastructure, education, and other economic factors important in preparing the country for another future disaster can be implemented more effectively. And with the removal of the 36 million dollars of debt owed by Haiti, the country may finally be able to move towards a healthier economic system and greater independence.

References

Africa: Niger. (2012). Central intelligence agency. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/ library/ publications/ the-world-factbook/ geos/ ng.html

Amos, J. (2010, January 13). Haiti earthquake maps. In BBC news. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/ 2/ hi/ americas/ 8456233.stm

Buschschluter, V. (2010, January 16). The long history of troubled ties between Haiti and the US . In BBC news. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/ 2/ hi/ 8460185.stm

Central America and Caribbean: Haiti. (2012). Central intelligence agency. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/ library/ publications/ the-world-factbook/ geos/ ha.html

Daniell, J., & Vervaeck, A. (2011, August 4). Japan Tohoku tsunami and earthquake : The death toll is climbing again! In Earthquake - Report. Retrieved from http://earthquake-report.com/ 2011/ 08/ 04/ japan-tsunami-following-up-the-aftermath-part-16-june/

Daniell, J., & Vervaeck, A. (2011, October 5). Japan Tohoku earthquake and tsunami : CATDAT 41 report (October 2, 2011). In Earthquake - Report. Retrieved from http://earthquake-report.com/ 2011/ 10/ 02/ japan-tohoku-earthquake-and-tsunami-catdat-41-report-october-2-2011/

Dodds, P. (2010, February 26). US rice doesn’t help struggling Haitian farmers. In Boston.com. Retrieved from NY Times Co. website: http://www.boston.com/ business/ articles/ 2010/ 02/ 26/ us_rice_doesnt_help_struggling_haitian_farmers/

Earthquake engineering. (2011, March 21). Wordpress. Retrieved April 8, 2012, from http://mathspig.wordpress.com/ tag/ japan-earthquake-video/

Europe: Norway. (2012). Central intelligence agency. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/ library/ publications/ the-world-factbook/ geos/ ha.html

Faults. (2012, April 16). Plate tectonics. Retrieved from http://www.platetectonics.com/ book/ page_15.asp

Haitian earthquake recovery: Where did all the money go? (2012, January 11). Huffington post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ 2012/ 01/ 11/ haiti-earthquake-recovery_n_1197730.html

The Haitian revolution of 1791-1803. (2012). Fold3. Retrieved from Fold3 website: http://www.fold3.com/ page/ 1441_the_haitian_revolution_of_17911803/

Haitians - Their history and culture. (2012). Center for applied linguistics. Retrieved from http://www.cal.org/ co/ haiti/ hhist.html

Haiti 400,000 damaged buildings repair program. (2012). Miyamoto. Retrieved from WHO website: http://www.miyamotointernational.com/ our-work/ disaster/ haiti-repair-program/

McCurry, J. (2011, March 11). Japan’s earthquake preparation has spared it from a far worse fate. In Theguardian. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/ world/ 2011/ mar/ 11/ japan-earthquake-preparation

Whyte, S. (2010, January 14). Health care in Haiti: a battered system is dealt another blow. In CBC news. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/ news/ health/ story/ 2010/ 01/ 13/ f-haiti-earthquake-health-care.html