Haiti Flashcards
When did the quake strike and with what force? (2)
12 January 2010
7 on the Ritcher scale followed by a 5.9 and 5.5 magnitude aftershock
Where was the epicentre? (1)
15km south-west of Port-au-Prince
Where is Haiti? (1)
Haiti is part of the island Hispaniola (which contains Haiti and the Dominican Republic) which was discovered by Christopher Columbus
What caused the earthquake? (1)
The conservative plate boundary between the Caribbean and North American plates runs through Haiti
Where was the focus and what does this mean? (2)
The focus was only 10km below the Earth’s surface
This means the quake caused very violent ground shaking
Social Effects (8)
230,000 people died and 300,000 were injured
This meant all hospitals were full and people had nowhere to go
Patients were treated without proper doctors or medical equipment as the doctors and the equipment had been destroyed
Lack of food meant extreme hunger
The water system which provided for 40% of Port au Prince’s population had failed
This meant acute water shortage
72.1% of the population survived on less than $2 a day so homes weren’t properly constructed, which amplified the effects
Building Effects (2)
Infrastructure was ruined: every house fell down
Roads, airports and Ports weren’t useable
Money pledged 1
The UK said £165 million was pledged
Aid agencies/other country responses 5
The US sent 10,000 troops
Indonesia sent sniffer dogs
A devon mountain rescue team was sent
Aid agencies shipped massive quantities of water and water purification tablets
The aid took a while to reach the Haitians and this caused friction
IOM 1
The IOM tried to improve 692,000 people’s shelters in 591 camps
After effects 3
235,000 people took advantage of the Haitian governments’ offer of free transport
Haiti needs billions of pounds to build new homes
Higher building standards are necessary
Rehab
Thousands of Haitians were amputees as a result of this and they will need mental health services and rehab
