L5 - Haiti Earthquake Example

• name and location

  haiti - Epicentre 25kms west of the capital Port au prince
• history

  haiti is a small country, at 27 750 kms squared its about 11% of the size of the UK or one third of the size of Scotland. its annual temperatures of 28 degrees and 137 cms rain
• population

  10.7 million
• birth rate

  23.4 per 1000 population
• growth rate

  1% per year
• age structure

  • 0-14 years (34.6%)
  • 15-54 (61.3%)
  • 65 and over (4.1%)
• population below poverty line

  80 percent
• infant mortality rate

  50.9 deaths / 100 live births
• cause of the earthquake

  the fault between the plates had been locked for 250 years, gathering stress the rupture was 65kms long in total and at a shallow depth of only 13kms
• primary effects (social)

  1/3 of port au prince destrotyed
• primary effects (social)

  many notable landmark buildings were significantly damaged or destroyed, including the presidential palace, the national assembly building, the main jail where 4000 inmates escaped and the port au prince cathedral
• primary effects (social)

  60 percent of all government buildings destroyed
• secondary effects (social)

  3 people killed from a small tsunami
• secondary effects (social)

  by july, 98% of the rubble from the quake remained uncleared, on the roads, making most of the capital impassable
• secondary effects (social)

  people had to live in tents and camps leading to looting and women and children were attacked
• secondary effects (social)

  there were so many bodies that the government had to bury people in mass graves or burn them which added to peoples grief
• secondary effects (economic)

  people were unable to travel for work and aid due to severely damaged roads. this led to food shortages
• secondary effects (economic)

  shop owners lost their buildings, stock and customers as no one had money to buy the goods
• primary effects (economic)

  the quake seriously damaged the control tower at toussaint l'oversture international airport and the port au prince seaport, which rendered the harbour unuseable
• secondary effects (economic)

  by 24th january there had been at least 52 aftershocks measuring 4.5 or greater
• short term responses

  810,000 people placed in aid camps
• short term responses

  healthcare supplies provided to limit disease
• short term responses

  the neighbouring dominican republic sent water, food and heavy -lifting machinery. the emergency team assisted more than 2,000 injured people, while the dominican institute of communications helped with the restoration of telephone services
• short term responses

  the international charter on space and major disasters was activated, allowing satellite imagery of affected regions to be shared with rescue organisations
• short term responses

  the open street map community responded to the disaster by improving the level of mapping available for the area using post-earthquake satellite photography
• long term responses

  on 10th april, due to the potential threat of mudslides and flooding from the upcoming season, the haitian government began operations to move thousands of refugees to a more secure location north of the capital
• long term responses

  the president of senegal offered interested haitians free land in senegal
• long term responses

  government and NGOS trained local stonemasons and homeowners to improve building techniques and make new structures more quake resistant
• long term responses

  ngos such as oxfam provided small loans to people to rebuild their businesses including shop owners and dressmakers, the repayments were small so that poorer people were able to access them
• long term responses

  contaminated water from the old pump and canal used to mean that there were regular outbreaks of diarrhoea, cholera and other infectious water borne diseases, since the new pump has bee installed the incidence of disease has fallen dramatically
• what caused the disaster?

  it was very shallow which created very strong shockwaves and the epicentre was very close to the capital which means millions of people were affected
• what caused the disaster?

  building quality, lack of infrastructure and widespread poverty meant that most haitians were extremely vulnerable to the damage that an earthquake could do~
• what caused the disaster?

  limited resources and lack of building regulations meant that most of the houses were made from low quality concrete blocks held together with cement. when the earthquake hit, the buildings crumbled, often trapping people inside
• what caused the disaster?

  the houses were built on steep slopes without foundations
• what caused the disaster?

  the government has little money so there are few services supplying water, electricity or transport
• what caused the disaster?

  haitis emergency services are poorly equipped and so in the aftermath it was difficult to help people