Haiti - Hurricane and Earthquake (Hazards)

Question 1

In what year was Hurricane Matthew

Answer 1

2016

Question 2

What category did the hurricane rank on the Saffir-Simpson scale when it hit Haiti

Answer 2

Category 4 (out of 5)

Question 3

How much of Haiti’s food supply is imported?

Answer 3

51%

Question 4

Why does Haiti need to import much of its food?

Answer 4

The soils in the mountainous areas are thin and erode easily when cultivated which makes agriculture difficult in much of the country

Question 5

two thirds of the land is above what level of elevation?

Answer 5

490 metres

Question 6

Why have the mangrove forests been depleted in Haiti?

Answer 6

Due to exploitation for firewood and charcoal fuel.

Question 7

What percent of Haiti’s total land area maintains its original forest cover?

Answer 7

1.5%

Question 8

Why has the majority of Haiti’s forests been lost?

Answer 8

due to:
* Clearing for Agriculture
* Clearing for Pastoral grazing land
* Logging for timber resources

Question 9

How many people were affected by Hurricane Matthew?

Answer 9

2.1 million

Question 10

How many of the affected people were displaced by Hurricane Matthew?

Answer 10

140,000

Question 11

How many people were killed by Hurricane Matthew?

Answer 11

540

Question 12

What physical factors contributed to the damage caused by Hurricane Matthew?

Answer 12

• 240 km/h winds
• large storm surge
• Low lying land was susceptible to flooding
• Saturated hills after torrential rain lead to landslides
• Preparation/mitigation set back by earthquake 6 years prior

Question 13

What human factors contributed to the damage caused by Hurricane Matthew?

Answer 13

• High population density
• High levels of poverty
• Early warning systems not properly utilised
• Haiti did not have the funds to adapt & prepare
• UN peacekeepers caused cholera outbreak

Question 14

How much damage (in USD) was caused by Hurricane Matthew?

Answer 14

$2 million

Question 15

What percent of the country’s crop/livestock was destroyed by Hurricane Matthew?

Answer 15

90%

Question 16

How many people did the World Food Programme reach in response to Hurricane Matthew?

Answer 16

230,000

Question 17

How many of the displaced people were provided with temporary shelter in response to Hurricane Matthew?

Answer 17

100,000

Question 18

How much (in USD) worth of medical supplies was donated in response to Hurricane Matthew?

Answer 18

$13 million

Question 19

What did the UK send in response to Hurricane Matthew?

Answer 19

Water purification tablets

Question 20

In what year was the Haiti earthquake?

Answer 20

2010

Question 21

How many people were killed by the Haiti earthquake?

Answer 21

316,000

Question 22

How many people were injured by the Haiti earthquake?

Answer 22

300,000

Question 23

How much (in USD) damage was caused by the Haiti earthquake?

Answer 23

$8.5 billion

Question 24

What percent of Haiti’s GDP was lost in damages by the Haiti earthquake?

Answer 24

120%

Question 25

How deep was the Haiti earthquake’s focus?

Answer 25

13 km (relatively shallow)

Question 26

How many buildings were destroyed by the ground shaking in the Haiti earthquake?

Answer 26

180,000

Question 27

Where did the Haiti earthquake rank on the Richter scale?

Answer 27

7 (out of 9)

Question 28

What secondary physical hazards were caused by the Haiti earthquake? (2)

Answer 28

• Liquefaction around Port-Au-Prince
• Landslides in the mountainous southern areas of the capital

Question 29

What human factors lead to the damage caused by the Haiti earthquake? (7)

Answer 29

• No/limited building codes
• Poor infrastructure
• Limited education on how to respond
• Multiple hazards in the years prior
• Limited political stability - corruption
• No warnings issued by the government
• Least developed nation in the western hemisphere

Question 30

How many people were provided with water and purification tablets in response to the Haiti earthquake?

Answer 30

250,000

Question 31

How many shelters were set up for displaced people after the Haiti earthquake?

Answer 31

1 million

Question 32

How much (in USD) was donated by the UN refugee fund in response to the Haiti earthquake?

Answer 32

$20 million

Question 33

What are the four key SEEP impacts of the Haiti earthquake?

Answer 33

S - 316,000 deaths
Ec - $8.5bn in damage
En - woodlands set alight by gas pipe explosions
P - political unrest (riots and looting)

Question 34

What are the four key SEEP impacts of Hurricane matthew?

Answer 34

S - 140,000 homeless
Ec - $1.9 million in damage
En - 90% of crops/livestock destroyed
P - 3,500 cholera cases caused by UN peacekeepers

Question 35

Why did the removal of mangrove forests/swamps make Haiti more vulnerable to the hurricane?

Answer 35

The lack of mangroves meant that there was less of a barrier to the winds and waves/storm surges. This meant the storm had more power to damage structures

Question 36

Why did the removal of most of Haiti’s forests make the population more vulnerable during both the hurricane and earthquake?

Answer 36

The bare land was more susceptible to landslides since there were less roots binding the soil; the ability of the soil to hold water would also have decreased without the trees.

Question 37

How important were exogenous factors in the recovery process of both disasters in Haiti?

Answer 37

exogenous factors - predominantly foreign aid - was hugely important to Haiti. The country had little capacity to recover on their own due to their economic position. They were incredibly reliant upon these factors.