Multi-Hazardous Environment - (Haiti) Flashcards
What type of plate margin caused the 2010 Haiti earthquake?
A conservative plate margin where the Caribbean Plate and the North American Plate slide past each other.
What caused the earthquake on 12 January 2010?
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurred due to slip along the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden Fault near Port-au-Prince.
How deep was the earthquake’s focus?
The focus was shallow — only 13 km deep, increasing surface-level shaking and damage.
What other hazards, apart from earthquakes, does Haiti face?
Haiti is exposed to tropical storms (e.g. Hurricane Matthew in 2016), flooding, landslides, drought, and epidemics like cholera.
What were the primary effects of the Haiti earthquake?
230,000 people died
300,000 injured
1.5 million made homeless
Over 250,000 homes and 30,000 buildings destroyed, including the Presidential Palace and Parliament
Port-au-Prince Cathedral and main prison collapsed
What were the secondary effects of the earthquake?
holera outbreak killed over 9,000 people
2.3 million people displaced
Breakdown of law and order; looting and violence increased
Shanty towns grew, especially in Port-au-Prince
Long-term homelessness and poor sanitation worsened vulnerability
How did the earthquake affect Haiti’s population socially?
Widespread trauma and PTSD
Schools, hospitals, and homes destroyed
Healthcare system collapsed — only 1 doctor per 3,000 people
Orphaned children, overwhelmed NGOs
What was the economic cost of the earthquake?
Estimated at $8 billion, equivalent to over 120% of Haiti’s GDP at the time.
What happened to jobs and livelihoods?
Businesses collapsed, especially in textiles and agriculture — many lost employment.
How did the earthquake affect infrastructure and trade?
Roads, ports, and airport damaged, hampering aid and exports.
What were the environmental impacts of the earthquake?
Soil destabilisation increased landslide risk
Deforestation worsened, as people used wood for shelter
Toxic waste leakage from collapsed industrial buildings
What was the political impact of the earthquake?
Government buildings destroyed, disrupting emergency coordination
President Préval admitted the government was ‘not functioning’
International community had to take over many relief roles
What were the key immediate responses?
UN and Red Cross deployed emergency teams
US sent 3,500 troops and $100 million in aid
Food and water distributed by NGOs like Médecins Sans Frontières
Temporary field hospitals set up
What were some problems with the immediate response?
Airport and port damage delayed aid
Poor coordination among aid agencies
Some areas remained inaccessible for over a week
What were the key long-term responses?
International donors pledged over $11 billion over 5 years
New settlements created, but over 60,000 people still in tents in 2020
World Bank cancelled Haiti’s debt
Focus on disaster-resilient infrastructure and early warning systems
What reconstruction projects were introduced?
‘Build Back Better’ approach to infrastructure
Efforts to decentralise Port-au-Prince and build safer housing
UN and World Bank invested in education and health system reform
Why is Haiti physically vulnerable to hazards?
Located on a tectonic fault line (Enriquillo-Plantain Garden Fault)
Lies in the hurricane belt – e.g. Hurricane Jeanne (2004), Hurricane Matthew (2016)
Deforestation and steep terrain increase flood and landslide risk
How did the shallow earthquake focus increase vulnerability?
A shallow depth (13 km) caused greater ground shaking, collapsing poorly-built structures quickly.
How did Haiti’s population characteristics affect vulnerability?
High population density (412 people/km²) in Port-au-Prince
Poor urban planning and slums
Low literacy rate (61%) – poor disaster awareness
Lack of emergency drills or preparedness training
Was the healthcare system prepared for a disaster?
No – few hospitals, understaffed, under-equipped – it collapsed under demand.
What was the state of Haiti’s buildings before the quake?
Most buildings were non-engineered, made of concrete blocks, with no seismic codes followed.
How was the government before the quake?
Weak and underfunded, with corruption issues
Emergency services were inadequate and untrained
No disaster response plan or stockpiles of supplies
How poor is Haiti compared to other nations?
In 2010, Haiti was the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with a GDP per capita of $660.
Could people or the state afford to recover?
Most people had no savings or insurance
The government lacked funding for reconstruction
Reliant on foreign aid and remittances
Why is Haiti particularly vulnerable to natural hazards?
Exposed to multiple physical hazards (earthquakes, hurricanes, floods)
Weak governance, poverty, poor infrastructure, and limited resources
Low resilience and low capacity to adapt or prepare
Social inequality, lack of education, and poor health systems increase risk
Recovery is slow, making future hazards more dangerous
