RECENT SEISMIC EVENT IN AN LIC Flashcards
What is it and when was it
Haiti Earthquake 2010
Why is Haiti very vulnerable to natural disasters
One of the poorest countries in the world
Where’s Haiti
On carribean plate
Shares island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic
Where did the Haiti earthquake occur
On the Erinquillo fault (northern edge of carribean plate)
It slips east 8cm a year
What did this earthquake release the locked up energy from
The last earthquake here in 1770, 2m Movement
Where was all the movement
What reached the surface
Underground (2-8km deep)
Seismic waves reached surface
Where was the epicentre
At Leogane , 15km SW of Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince
What’s the capital of Haiti
Port-au-Prince
What occurred 3 times after
Aftershocks
5.5,5.9 +6.1 a week after
What date and time was the earthquake
12th January 2010
16:53 local time
What was the magnitude
7.0
3 social impacts
- death toll: 222,500 + 1000s remained unaccounted for buried beneath collapsed structures
- 15% people in port-au-prince either died or were injured
- bodies piled in streets
- collapsed buildings main reason of death/injury
- people got hungry so looting + violence was common
Where were 75000 buried
Mass graves
3 economic impacts
- capitals main port was destroyed
- phone lines failed making communications impossible
- 4758 schools damaged/destroyed
How many people were made homeless
Where did they have to live
1.5 million
800,000 living outdoors in 450 improvised camps in port-au-prince
What was the total value of damages and losses
$7.8billion
How many buildings were either totally destroyed or damaged
10,000
2 political impacts
- UN lost its headquarters and 80-100 staff
- many civic offices destroyed in port-au-prince e.g schools, tax offices, hospitals + parliament itself
4 immediate responses (0-2 weeks)
- initial searching by manually lifting rubble - 120 people rescued once search teams brought equipment
- survivors went to hospitals in Dominican Republic but overwhelmed it
- Obama + US army sent 5,500 troops + 6US military ships
- celebrities raised £35 million in a 2 hour telethon
What did the world food programme appeal for
Donors for 14 million ration packs - enough to feed 2 million for a month
4 responses 2 weeks later
- UN sent extra 3500 troops + police to maintain law and order
- world bank suspended all payments on Haiti’s debt for next 5 years at least
- rapid response scheme funded by world bank using GIS and Google Earth
- 18 hospitals and emergency clinics began working in Port-au-Prince
- 4 airports and damaged dock partially reopened
6 months later, what was organised involving 54 countries + 35 international organisations
How much money was given to reconstruction projects
A world summit for the future of Haiti : Solidarity Beyond the Crisis
$11 billion
2 responses a year later
- schools and random commercial activity re-established
- only about 5% rubble cleared
- camps appeared permanent giving 800,00 shelter
