Haiti Earthquake

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  • Created by: Olliejh98
  • Created on: 28-01-15 15:38

Backround info:

  • Haiti is poorest country in Western hemisphere
  • GDP is $1,200 per person (207th in world)
  • HDI is 0.404 (145th in world)
  • 80% of its 9.7 million population live below the poverty line 
  • Port Au Prince (capital) lies on fault line running off Perto Rico trench (N.American and Caribbean plate)
  • Strike slip fault (Caribbean plate travelling West and N.American plate travelling West)
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Earthquake

  • Earthquake occured on Jan 12th 2010
  • Epicenter 10 miles SW of capital 
  • Focus only 10-15km below surface
  • Measured 7.0 on Richter scale
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Impacts

  • 316,000 died
  • More than a million made homeless
  • Even in 2011 people remained in temporary houses
  • 3 million people in total were affected
  • Few building built with Earthquakes in mind so many badly damaged/ collapsed
  • Govt of Haiti estimated 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings severley damaged
  • Port, major roads and communication links damaged beyond repair
  • The clothing industry (2/3rds of Haiti's exports) reported structural damage at manufacturing facilities
  • 1 in 5 jobs lost
  • Rubble/ cracks and fault lines blocked roads/ rails
  • Sea levels in local areas changed as land sunk below sea
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Short Term Response

  • Many countries responded to appeals for aid, (pledging funds and dispatching rescue/medical teams)
  • Engineers and support personnel
  • Communication systems, air, land and sea transport facilities, hospitals and eletrical networks had been damaged which made rescue/aid difficult
  • Much confusion as to who was in charge (air traffic, flight prioritisation further complicated early relief work)
  • Port-au-Prince's morgues overwhelmed with tens of thousands of corpses (mass graves had to be used)
  • Supplies, medical care and sanitation were priorities
  • Delays in aid led to angry appeals from aid workers and survivors, this led to looting and violence
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Long Term Response

  • EU gave $330 million
  • World Bank waived countries debt repayments for 5 yrs
  • Senegalese offered land for Haitians
  • 6 months after quake 98% of rubble un-cleared
  • 1.6 million living in reief camp (barely any transitional housing built), many camps had no electricity, running water, or sewage disposal
  • Between 23 charities $1.1 billion raised yet only 2% released!
  • 1yr after quake 1 million still displaced
  • Dominican republic offered support, accepted refugees
  • Medicines San frontiers helped casualties whilst USA controlled aid distribution
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