Haiti Earthquake

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  • Haiti
    • Causes
      • It was caused by the North American Plate sliding past the Caribbean plate at a conservative plate margin
        • Both plates move in the same direction but one moves faster
          • The pressure that was built from the friction of the two plates released a nagnitude 7.0 earthquake on the richter scale
            • With an epicenter 16 miles west of Port-au Prince and a shallow focus of 5 miles
              • The earthquake struck at 16:53 (local time) on Tuesday 12th January 2010
    • Effects
      • Primary (directly caused by earthquake)
        • 220,000 people were killed and 1.5 million people become homeless. A total of 3.5 million people were affected by the earthquake
        • 290,000 homes were destroyed and 30,000 other buildings. This includes the Presidents Palace and 60% of government buildings were either damaged badly or destroyed
        • Transport and communication links were badly damaged by the earthquake
        • Hospitals (50+) and 4000 schools were damaged of destroyed as well as the airport control tower
        • The main prison was destroyed and 4000 inmates escaped
      • Secondary (result from Primary effects)
        • 1 in 5 people lost their jobs because so many buildings were destroyed, clothing was one of the worst affected
        • The large number of deaths meant that hospitals and morgues became full and bodies had to be piled up in the streets
        • Large number of bodies meant that diseases, especially cholera, became a serious problem
        • It was difficult getting aid into the area because of issues at the airport and generally poor management of the situation
        • People wre squashed into shanty towns or onto the streets because their homes had been destroyed leadint to poor sanitation and health, and looting became a big problem
    • Managment
      • Limited funding so difficult to build earthquake proof buildings BUT could focus on key buildings to earthquake proof e.g. hospitals 
      • More drills and preparation- In Japan they have regular earthquake drills and children are educated what to do
      • More effective response after earthquake e.g. emergency services, basic facilities, food and water

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