1. Case Study: Haiti Jan 2010
Where did it happen?Haiti is found on the island of Hispaniola in
central Caribbean. It is the second largest island in the Caribbean and is
shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The island is on a
conservative boundary between the North American plate and the
Caribbean plate.
What happened?At 4:53pm on Tuesday 12th
January 2010 an earthquake hit Haiti measuring 7.0 on
the Richter scale. It occurred along the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault system at a depth of 13km.
Friction built up between the two plates. The earthquake occurred when the pressure was suddenly
released. The epicentre was approximately 25km west of Port-au-Prince near the town of Léogâne.
The shaking lasted for 30-40 seconds. After the earthquake 52 aftershocks were recorded.
Primary effects Secondary effects
E
c
o
n
o
m
i
c
25% of civil servants were killed in
Port-au-Prince.
Transport and communication links
were damaged
Government buildings destroyed.
Port and airport control tower
damaged
Roads damaged
90% of Port-au-Prince reduced to
rubble
Difficult for aid to get into the
country.
S
o
c
i
a
l
220,000 people were killed
300,000+ people were killed
118,383 houses were damaged
105,000 houses were destroyed
1.5 million people were homeless
4000 schools damaged or destroyed
Prison damaged, 4000 inmates
escaped.
Morgues were full and bodies piled
up in the streets and had to be buried
in mass graves.
Outbreak of cholera. By July 2011
5,899 people had died and 216,00
were infected.
Looting in Port-au-Prince.
1 million people still displaced one
year after the earthquake.

2. Immediate responses Long term responses
$100 million in aid given by USA and
$330 million by the EU
810,000 people placed in aid camps
115,000 tents and 1,000,000+ tarpaulin
shelters provided.
Health care supplies provided
4.3 million people provided with food
rations in the weeks following the
earthquake.
EU gave $330 million and the World
Bank waived Haiti’s debt for 5 years
The Senegalese offered land in Senegal
to any Haitians who wanted it.
1.6 million people in relief camps with
no transitional housing being built.
The Dominican Republic offered support
and accepted some refugees.
USA took charge of aid distribution.
How was the hazard managed? The earthquake was not well managed. There was no preparation
for the earthquake. There were no building regulations that made buildings earthquake proof and
people did not know what to do in case of an earthquake. In addition, the government buildings were
destroyed which meant that the main place for coordination was lost and they missed to crucial first
48 hours for rescue efforts.
Why was the death toll so high?The death toll was so high because
of the buildings. Most buildings in Port-au-Prince had no corner
supports to make them stronger. This meant that when there was
intense shaking the support columns collapsed in an effect called
pancaking where all the floors of the building collapse on top of each
other. Also the government buildings were destroyed so a base for
coordination of aid was lost and they missed the first 48 hour window
for rescuing people which meant that the death toll was higher. The sheer amount of rubble in roads
also meant that it was more difficult for aid to get to people