EARTHQUAKE HAITI IMPACTS

Question 1

LOCATION

Answer 1

HAITI, CARIBBEAN SEA

Question 2

TIME

Answer 2

• Occurred on 12th January 2010 at 16:53

Question 3

PLATE BOUNDARY

Answer 3

Convergent Plate Boundary

Question 4

Cause of Earthquake

Answer 4

Earthquake resulted from the slippage of rock upward across the plane of the Léogâne fault.

There was friction between the North American Plate and the Caribbean Plate.

Pressure built between the two plates until it was released as an earthquake.

Question 5

Sale & magnitude & hazards

Answer 5

• Magnitude of 7.0 on Richter scale & 5.9 aftershocks
• Epicentre in Leogane, 25km away from capital Port au Prince
• Depth/Focus: 13km below Earth’s surface
• Hazards: Mountainous terrain & loose soil leading to landslides, 3m high Tsunami near Capital, Liquification of soil

Question 6

Physical Factors impacting Scale

Answer 6

Loose soils - risk of liquification
sedimentary rocks - Amplified shaking
Rural areas mountainous - difficult to reach
Coast location of capital port au prince - 3m tsunami – damage & flooding

Question 7

Social Factors impacting Scale

Answer 7

• Densely populated areas in Port au Prince
• High levels of poverty & inequality, limited access to sanitation, clean water
• Lack of education and preparedness

Question 8

Economic Factors impacting Scale

Answer 8

• Haiti is an LIDC, amongst poorest countries in the world
• High unemployment rate (40%)
• Dependent on aid due to lack of resilience
• Limited services & poor infrastructure & buildings
• Lack of insurance

Question 9

Political Factors impacting scale

Answer 9

• Instability leading to weakened infrastructure & poor services
• Corruption leading to lack of resources and little resilience
• Lack of enforcement leading to buildings not being earthquake resistant

Question 10

SOCIAL IMOACTS

Answer 10

The earthquake resulted in the unfortunate loss of over 300,000 lives.

An estimated 1,000,000 people were made homeless

Additionally, two million people were left without water and food.

cholera epidemic

Question 11

ECONOMIC IMPACTS

Answer 11

The earthquake caused significant damage, with the Haitian government estimating that 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged.
$7.8 billion

The macroeconomic effects of the earthquake were equal to an average loss of up to 12% of gross domestic product over the period 2010–2015

Long-Term Recovery: Reliant on aid and very slow, million still in shelters

Question 12

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

Answer 12

• Primary: Landscape damage by landslides, damaged ecosystems
• Secondary:
  Camps —> damage & contamination, pollution

Contaminated water stores

Question 13

POLITICAL IMPACTS

Answer 13

More than 180 government buildings and 13 out of 15 key government offices collapsed, including the presidential palace and parliament.

The earthquake’s aftermath led to increased crime and violence, with reports of looting and escalated sexual violence.

Question 14

IMPACT OF LIDC STATUS

Answer 14

• VULNERABLE –> MORE VULNERABLE
  Nearly ¼ million people died, people were vulnerable in sub-standard housing and were victim to Cholera caused by sub-standard sanitation
• Infrastructure:
  Lacked infrastructure to withstand a powerful earthquake, buildings in poor condition and not earthquake resistant, lack of preparedness & education & drills
• Emergency Response: Government response was delayed and limited partly due to damage at port, heavily reliant on international aid as no flexibility in country’s finances
• MINIMAL ECONOMIC RESILIENCE
  Economic Impact: $7.8 billion, economic losses were more than 120% of GDP
• Long-Term Recovery: Reliant on aid and very slow, 1 million still in shelters