When: 12th January 2010 (16:53pm) Magnitude: 7 Epicentre: 25km west of Port-Au-Prince Focus: 13km deep Wealth: poorest country in Western Hemisphere
Haiti lies on a conservative plate margin, where the Caribbean Plate and the North American Plate are sliding past each other.
Primary Effects
Primary effects are the initial impact of a natural event on people and property, caused directly by it. The primary effects of the Haiti 2010 earthquake were:
230,000 people killed
300,000 people seriously injured
250,000 houses destroyed
Electricity supplies disrupted
Main port, roads and airport damaged
1,300 schools destroyed
50 health care facilities destroyed
Secondary Effects
Secondary effects are the after-effects that occur as indirect impacts of a natural event, sometimes on a longer timescale. The secondary effects of the Haiti 2010 earthquake were:
Damage to houses left 1 million people homeless. Today, 60,000 people still remain homeless
Contaminated water supplies led to cases of the disease cholera. 700,000 people have been infected and over 8,000 have died
The Haitian Economy is in ruins – 1 in 5 jobs lost
Main roads blocked for 10 days, making transport difficult
Fires were caused by broken gas mains/ electrical cables
Immediate Responses
Initially there was confusion due to little planning or preparation.
Aid was slow to arrive due to the lack of preparation and damage to communications.
People resorted to looting due to the lack of food, water & medical supplies
Neighbouring Dominican Republic provided some heavy machinery to help with search and rescue underneath the rubble, but most people were left to dig through the rubble by hand.
Emergency rescue teams arrived from a number of countries
Temporary field hospitals were set up by organisations like the Red Cross.
Long-term Responses
Money was pledged by organisations and governments to assist in rebuilding, but only slow progress has been made. The EU gave $330 million
One year after the quake many were still living in refugee camps. Today, 60,000 people still remain homeless
Small farmers are being supported – so crops can be grown
Schools are being rebuilt
Support is being given to people without jobs through cash/food-for-work projects
Charities such as the Water Project repaired damaged wells in Haiti, providing thousands of people with access to reliable, clean water.