Haiti Earthquake (Case Study)

Haiti Earthquake Factfile:

Location -Haiti, Caribbean

Date - 12th January 2010

Cause - Conservative plate boundary between Caribbean and North American Plates

Main Impacts:

• 230,000 people died
• 300,000 people injured
• 1 million made homless
• 250,000 houses and 30,000 buildings collapsed/damaged

Primary Effects:

• Cracks in the ground
• People crushed
• Houses collapsing

Secondary Effects:

• 1 million made homeless
• Outbreak of cholera - 6000 people died
• Fires

Why did so many die?

• Didn't have the resources to help people
• Lots of falling structures killed people
• Houses poor and densely packed, shanty towns with badly consturcted buildings
• Dense urban environment made it difficult for rescue teams to work so they couldn't get to people to help them

Evaluating the response to the Haiti Earthquake:

Positives:

• 71 people rescued in the first few days including young children…