HAITI casestudy - seismic event example

Question 1

Date of the event

HAITI

Answer 1

12th January 2010

Question 2

Location of the event

HAITI

Answer 2

Middle of the Caribbean basin - in the conservative plate boundary - the Caribbean plate is moving eastwards against North American plate at 8cm/y

Question 3

what fault did it occur along?

HAITI

Answer 3

The Enriquillo fault - northern edge of the Caribbean plate

Question 4

Why was it so severe?

HAITI

Answer 4

The last major earthquake was in 1770 - energy has been locked up and was released in the 2010 earthquake

Movement of 2m - underground at a 2-8km depth

Question 5

Where was the epicentre?

HAITI

Answer 5

Near town of Leogane - 25km from Port-au-Prince (capital)

Question 6

GDP per capita
Population
Life expectancy
Total damage

HAITI FACTS

Answer 6

$1849
10 million
62 years
$7.8 billion (120% of their GDP)

Question 7

Nature of the event:
Magnitude & aftershocks

(HAITI)

Answer 7

Magnitude of the initial quake - 7

Aftershocks: 52 (all with a magnitude of over 4.5 between 12th and 24th of Jan) (one aftershock a week later was 8.1 magnitude)

Question 8

SOCIAL short term impacts

HAITI

Answer 8

• Leogane (epicentre) had 80-90% of all buildings destroyed
• 19 million tonnes of debris in capital
• 1.5 million homeless
• 800,000 living in 450 make shift camps
• only 3 of the makeshift camps had access to portable water
• 222,500 deaths
• 25% of civil servants died
• 4000 inmates from prison escaped

Question 9

ENVIRONMENTAL short term impacts

HAITI

Answer 9

• sea levels changed in some parts; some parts of land sinking

Question 10

SOCIAL long term impacts

HAITI

Answer 10

• 9 months after the initial quake; severe outbreaks of cholera; killing a further 8927 people
• year later; only 5% of rubble was cleared
• year later, over 500,000 still living in the camps
• bodies had to be piled up on streets - more spreading of diseases
• delays in aid lead to violence / looting

Question 11

ECONOMIC long term impacts

HAITI

Answer 11

• 1/5 lost their jobs; clothing industry was worst affected

- total damage worth 120% of their GDP; $7.8 billion

Question 12

response BEFORE the earthquake

HAITI

Answer 12

government = corrupt; building codes were not enforced and brittle steel was used / steel reinforcement rods had been terminated at joints between floors (where earthquake stresses are highest)

• 2008 earthquake had forced 100,000s more people into the capital; more people in area; more affected
• large amounts of people living in slum conditions; not protected enough

Question 13

response DURING the earthquake

HAITI

Answer 13

• 120 people rescued from rule within 2 weeks; initial response was manual lifting as no heavy gear was available
• lack of immediate aid through poor planing/management/access; people had to try and reduce each other
• hospitals in Dom Rep had to be used; soon became overwhelmed
• US; 5500 troops and 6 military ships
• CrowdFlower set up text hotline; people in capital could send SMS to ask for help; messages then routed to emergency crews
• Disaster Emergency Committee put out an appeal; £107 million; allowed water supply to be improved for over 300,000 people
• over 100,000 tents and 1 mil tarpaulin shelters provided

Question 14

response DURING the earthquake

HAITI

Answer 14

• World Bank donated $30 mil for redevelopment; densely populated suburb in capital (120,000 living in 1km), over half of the capital’s building were collapsed or badly damaged
• a two hour telethon (Hope for Haiti) raised £35 million
• UN launched an appeal (£346 mil) to help 3 mil people for 6 months
• 2 years later; UN/locals removed 40% of rubble; 500,000 still living in camps
• World Food Programme; appealed to donors for 14 million ration packs; feed 2 million people for a month
• 7000 people were trained in construction; housing slowly becoming available
• 160,000 given info about preparing for future / 60,000 women given literacy classes