Earthquake Case Study [U1] Flashcards
Which 2 places are involved in the earthquake case study?
Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, 2010 and Christchurch, New Zealand, 2010-12
What are some economical/social/political/geographical differences between Haiti and New Zealand?
Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere
Haiti had a trade embargo
Haiti has a lot of debt to France
Haiti has a death toll of over 300,000
New Zealand is a high income country
New Zealand death toll was less than 200
Majority of New Zealand deaths occurred in one 6 story building that wasn’t earthquake proofed
New Zealand received lot of aid from allies
Haiti is located on a conservative plate boundary
New Zealand is located on a destructive plate margin.
Why is Christchurch less vulnerable and why does Haiti remain vulnerable?
New Zealand:
Christchurch has high building standards and most buildings are earthquake proofed
People are educated and aware of hazards which allowed for personal resilience
The government had a quick response to the hazard and deployed emergency services
Haiti:
Haiti lacks education of hazards and procedures which increases social risk
Building quality is relatively poor which puts buildings at risk of collapse
People are still in temporary housing after a decade due to the lack of resources to reconstruct
