CASE STUDY- Haitain earthquake 2010

Nature of event 

• enriqullio fault 
• Last earthquake long ago so lots of built up energy causing 2 metre movement
• No surface rupture
• rayeigh and love waves travelled across soft sedimentay coastal plains creating massive destruction
• Epicentre at Leogane, 15 km southwest of the capital Port-Au-Prince
• 3 strong 5-6 aftershocks

Impact of event

• Death toll 222,500
• 1000 unaccounted for
• 1.5 million homeless
• 7500 in mass graves, many bodies piles up in the streets
• 800,000 in improvised camps
• Only 3 out of 450 camps had potable water
• Capitals main port destroyed
• Leogane had 80-90% of its buildings detroyed
• 2X worse than any other 7.0 agnitude earthquake due to the socio-economic conditions
• Contructors used brittle steel and weak cement mixed with dirty/salty sand + steel reinforcement rodes which terminated at the joints where earthquake stress is highest

Immediate response

• rescue phase 
• Manually lifting rubble as their was no heavy lifting gear available
• Aid agency staff looked for their own families
• International search teams brought their equipment and expertise
• 120 people rescued 
• Hospitals overwhelmed
• Doctors performing amputations with basic equipment 

2 weeks later

• Tents only for 25% of homeless
• US coast guard partially re-opened the damaged dock and 4 aiports to being in supplies
• Refief was unable to…