Haiti 2010 Earthquake Flashcards
On what date was the Haiti 2010 earthquake?
12 January 2010
What were the 2 plates involved and what type of boundary was it?
The Caribbean and North American plates.
Conservative plate boundary
What magnitude was the earthquake?
A magnitude of 7
What were the economic impacts?
30,000 commercial buildings collapsed.
Businesses destroyed.
Damage to the main clothing industry.
Airport and port damaged.
What were the social impacts?
3 million people affected.
Over 230,000 deaths.
300,000 injured.
1.3 million made homeless.
Several hospitals collapsed.
Why were the effects of the earthquake so bad?
there were very few earthquake-resistant buildings
Buildings and other structures were poorly built
The epicentre was near to the capital
There were few resources to rescue or treat injured people
What were the primary responses to the earthquake?
The Red Cross helping a child after the Haiti earthquake
The neighbouring Dominican Republic provided emergency water and medical supplies as well as heavy machinery to help with search and rescue underneath the rubble, but most people were left to dig through the rubble by hand.
Emergency rescue teams arrived from a number of countries, eg Iceland.
Medical teams began treating the injured - temporary field hospitals were set up by organisations like the International Committee of the Red Cross.
GIS was used to provide satellite images and maps of the area, to assist aid organisations.
People from around the world watched the news from Haiti on TV and through social networks. Many pledged money over their mobile phones.
United Nations troops and police were sent to help distribute aid and keep order.
What were the secondary responses to the earthquake?
Money was pledged by organisations and governments to assist in rebuilding, but only slow progress had been made after one year.
After one year, there were still 1,300 camps.
‘Cash for work’ programs are paying Haitians to clear rubble.
Small farmers are being supported - so crops can be grown.
Schools are being rebuilt.
