Haiti

• Geographical context


  - Suffered with a long history of unstable government

  - Lack of public awareness of what to do in an earthquake

  - over 70% of population lived on less than $2 a day.

  - Population of 10 million

  -2/3 of buildings was already unstable

  - Many of the public services were already being run by aid charities and UN

  - More NGOs per capita than any other country

  - 86% lived in slums in Port Au Prince

  - In the Hurricane belt and 2008 suffered large losses and was not recovered

  - Recently suffered from Policies that opened up the country for economic exploitation from abroad

  - First successful slavery revolt when Haitians overthrew their colonial masters (french). - France demanded a economic compensation that will cripple the economy for the next 150 years
• Causes


  - On a constructive plate boundary where the Caribbean and North American pates slides across each other in an east-west direction.

  - 2008 discovered that the plates which has been moving 7mm average a year since the 1751 earthquake are now stuck in place

  - Epicentre was 9 miles from Port Au Prince

  - Focus was 6 miles down

  - 12th January 2010, stress of the surroundings rocks was released as a 7.0 earthquake

  - Energy was released along a 65km fault line causing land movements of 1.8 metres
• Primary Impacts

  - Over 220000 deaths

  - 1.5 million homeless

  - $8 billion damages

  - 70% of buildings collapsed including the governmental buildings

  - strong aftershocks felt. 6.1 magnitude earthquake on 20th January

  - liquefaction on looser sediments caused building foundations to subside
• Secondary impacts


  - People cried for Jesus convinced that he was to return (fatalist)

  - People digging up their families by hand and laid dead bodies by hand on the streets

  - October 2010 saw a cholera outbreak infecting the Artibonte River which was their only drinking source

  - Sewage spillage at a UN base for solders

  - UN denied responsibility but confirmed after 6 months

  - Reached Port Au Prince and caused an epidemic

  - Saw 6900 deaths sue to cholera and 500000 cases of cholera

  - Government crippled due to the loss of the cicadas servants and destruction of ministers

  - 2010 election was very tense and riots
• Responses


  - World foods sent 10 million ready foods

  - Oxfam sent 20 tones of water purification kits

  - UN stated that they sent every household 2 tarpaulins free of charge but in reality many families had to buy material for their shelter on the black market for $20

  - Dominican Republic was the first to give aid and sending supplies of water, food and heavy machinery to hep rescue people

  - Initially, priority was given to the arrival of US security troops over aid and this angered the locals and caused more stress

  - security concerns prevented aid from being sent to Haiti

  - Compared to chinas earthquake where 90000 people got pulled out, only 132 people got saved and UN claimed it was successful
• Government


  - Camp Acura was home to 25000 people and the landowner gave a 2 month notice to evacuate everyone, fully aware that these people had nowhere to go.

  - This occurred across many camp sites

  - NGOs started to withdraw services at many camps as well. Also ran out of money but little progress was made

  - Haiti president thought that people chose to stay in camps to avoid paying for services

  -
• Temporary housing

  - No electricity or supply of water

  - Americana red cross supplied water to camps but it wasn't drinkable as it was too expensive

  - people found out that is was the water making them ill

  - American red cross raised half a billion of aid to send to Haiti.