Haiti earthquake

Haiti - january 2010 

7.0 on richter scale

plates involved- Carribean and North American

conservative plate boundary

Management failures were not a result of lack of knowledge

seisomologists full aware of Haiti's history of destructive earthquakes this was the worst in 200years

Enriquillo Plantain fault had been locked for 250 years, gathering stress, making a strong earthquake likely (seismic gap theory), this earthquake reached 7.0 

knowledge and perception poor amongst populaion - schools in cities like Port au Prince and Jacmel did not practice earthquake drills

people had a fatilisitic attitude to natural hazards due to hurricanes and floods etc- preparation/perception was poor explaining the death toll of 230,000 and 300,000 injured

Slow and ineffective response by Haitian authorities indicates lack of perception and Low stage of development

heavily reliant on overseas charity and aid(American red cross) they have $660 gdp per capita

took time for overseas aid to arrive costing lives. 5 days before rescue teams reached Leogane, the releif effort hampered due to key parts of infrastructure destroyed - main road between Jacmel and Port au Prince was blocked for 10 days after the earthquake. international airport destroyed

water shortages, diseases causing deaths after the quake. Outbreak of cholera  8 months after the earthquake, shows a lack of sanitation and clean water available to those living in temporary shelters.

The biggest cause of management failure was Haiti being an LEDC with a $660 GDP pc 

As a result of poor prepartaion and inadequate protection 230000 died and 300,000 injured

many buildings like city hall and national assembly were pancaked, as well as the airport and road to Port au Prince hampered the recovery. over 1 million left homeless.

prison destroyed 4000 inmates escaped 

2 million Haitians live in shanty settlements explaining the death toll of 230000 as a result of collapsed buildings.

building codes were not enforced due to the lack of bureaucracy Haiti has

As Haiti is an LEDC the damage cost of est. $1.3 billion will just add to Haiti already being unable investing in measures like earthquake proof builings to reduce the impact of future quakes.