Presentation courtesy of Dr Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction

1. TOWARDS A NEW HAITI
FIVE YEARS AFTER THE
JANUARY 12, 2010
EARTHQUAKE DISASTER

2. M7.0 EARTHQUAKE
STRIKES HAITI
THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE’S
POOREST NATION HIT HARD
4:53 p.m.; JANUARY 12, 2010

3. SOCIETAL IMPACTS
• The lives of 3 million Haitians were
adversely impacted.
• Over two hundred thousand deaths

4. It was the largest quake ever
recorded in the area and the
first major one since a M6.7
temblor in 1984

5. THE HAITI EARTHQUAKE AND
THE CARIBBEAN PLATE

6. LOCATION

7. SHALLOW HYPOCENTER
• The US Geological Survey reported
that the earthquake was centered
about 10 miles (16 km) west of Port-
au-Prince, with 1.8 million people in
the area at high risk.
• The quake’s shallow depth - about
5 miles (8 km), exacerbated damage.

8. PORT AU PRINCE: 1.8 MILLION IN A
NATION OF NINE MILLION

9. A SPEED BUMP IN THE ROAD
TOWARDS A NEW HAITI
• The earthquake caused a tragic, long-
term interruption of the steady, but
SLOW, national development that was
finally beginning to happen.
• It is still be an incentive for raising a
NEW HAITI out of the debris and
destruction of January 12, 2010.

10. THE PRESIDENT OF HAITI
• The President took control of
the historic emergency
response needs and the
international assistance
activities.

11. PRIORITY ONE WAS SAVING
HAITIAN LIVES
• Search and rescue activities, which
started immediately with the efforts
of individual survivors working
without equipment, were
augmented as quickly as possible
with experts and heavy equipment.

12. MEDICAL CARE
• A major concern was how to care
for the homeless and injured
Haitians and how and where to
provide temporary housing for
them.

13. BUILDING DAMAGE
• No modern construction standards
had been implemented for years
because of political instability, so
• - - - Thousands of buildings (e.g.,
houses, businesses, schools,
prisons, hospitals) were damaged
or collapsed by the ground
shaking.

14. THE US EMBASSY
• The US Embassy, which was
constructed in accordance with a
modern building code, survived
with very little damage, while other
buildings in the vicinity collapsed.

15. OFFICES OF THE UNITED
NATIONS
• The building housing United
Nations personnel collapsed,
killing the Head of the UN’s Peace
Keeping Force, and others.
• 100 UN workers impacted.
• The UN’s humanitarian assistance
was slowed, but not stopped.

16. COLLAPSE OF UN BUILDING;
PORT AU PRINCE

17. DEATH TOLL REACHED TWO
HUNDRED THOUSAND+

18. DAMAGE TO HOUSES ON
HILLSIDE: PORT AU PRINCE

19. DAMAGE TO HOUSES ON
HILLSIDE: PORT AU PRINCE

20. EXAMPLE OF DAMAGE TO
HOMES: PORT AU PRINCE

21. EXAMPLE OF DAMAGE TO
HOMES: PORT AU PRINCE

22. EXAMPLE OF DAMAGE TO
HOMES: PORT AU PRINCE

23. EXAMPLE OF DAMAGE:
PORT AU PRINCE

24. SOCIETAL IMPACTS:
PUBLIC BUILDINGS
• Numerous public buildings were
destroyed, including: a hospital,
the Presidential Palace, the
parliament building, the Finance
Ministry, The Public Works
Ministry, the Palace of Justice, and
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Port-au-
Prince (the national cathedral).

25. AFTER THE QUAKE: CATHEDRAL
BADLY DAMAGED

26. AFTER THE QUAKE: THE
PRESIDENTIAL PALACE

27. INFRASTRUCTURE DAMAGE
• Power was knocked out.
• Communication was disrupted.
• Utility service was interrupted.
• Roads were damaged.
• The airport’s control tower was
badly damaged.
• The port was damaged.

28. DAMAGED ROADS

29. TOUSSANT L’OUVERATURE
AIRPORT: PORT AU PRINCE
• The airport’s communication tower
was damaged in the earthquake.
• An operational runway was
receiving military transports with
supplies the next day.
• The airport’s “normal” day of 25
flights quickly became more than
50 flights.

30. TOUSSANT L’OUVERATURE
AIRPORT

31. PORT DAMAGE
• Piers were broken.
• Cranes were overturned.
• Containers were toppled.
• Debris was everywhere.

32. PORT: TOPPLED CONTAINERS

33. PEOPLE SLEEPING ON THE
STREET: JANUARY 12

34. TRAFFIC JAMS HINDER SEARCH
AND RESCUE; JAN 14

35. SEARCH AND RESCUE
UNDERWAY: JAN 13

36. SEARCH AND RESCUE IN A
SCHOOL BY INDIVIDUALS: JAN 13

37. SURVIVORS RECEIVING WATER:
JAN 14

38. EVACUATION OF INJURED:
JAN 13

39. SURVIVORS SLEEPING IN
TENTS: JANUARY 15

40. INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
• The USA provided immediate
assistance (e.g., financial,
technical, logistical, security,
search and rescue teams, and
damage assessment) at the
request of Haiti’s President.

41. US AIRCRAFT CARRIER CARL
VINSON ARRIVING IN HAITI

42. INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
• Within hours to a few days, other
nations (e.g., Cuba, Dominion
Republic, Venezuela, Mexico,
Taiwan, Spain, Italy, UK, China,
etc.) provided assistance in a
variety of ways and quantities.

43. INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
• International NGO’s responded
immediately (e.g., Catholic
Relief Services, World Vision,
International Red Cross,
Doctors Without Borders, The
Salvation Army, Samaritan’s
Purse, etc.,).

44. LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE
DEPARTMENT: TO ASSIST

45. A DOG IS PART OF THE TEAM

46. TIAWAN SEARCH AND RESCUE
TEAM: TO ASSIST

47. BRITISH SEARCH AND RESCUE
TEAM: TO ASSIST

48. SPANISH SEARCH AND
RESCUE TEAM WITH 9 DOGS

49. FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA
S AND R TEAM: TO ASSIST

50. INFECTUOUS DISEASES
FEARED
• In addition to the two hundred
thousand+ deaths and injuries
and the shortage and
contamination of water,
another fear was the onset of
diseases such as malaria.

51. FIVE YEARS LATER:
still moving towards a new
Haiti
OVER $1 BILLION RAISED BY
INTERNATIONAL DONORS
RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION IS
STILL UNDERWAY

52. THE GOALS:
• Rebuilding Haiti in a way that gives
Haitians a chance to recover quickly
and become self-sufficient and
disaster resilient.
• Balancing Science, Engineering, the
Political Process, and Reality

53. REALITY
Haiti is located in a geographic area
prone to disasters caused by
earthquakes, hurricanes, floods,
and landslides

54. SCIENCE
AND ENGINEERING
• Implementation of the seismic design
provisions of a modern building code
and modern lifeline standards is urgent
to prevent widespread damage to
residences, and commercial and
government buildings in future
earthquakes.

55. POLITICAL: TOWARDS A
NEW HAITI
Break the poverty cycle for
Haitians through innovative
job creation and training
programs.

56. TOWARDS A NEW HAITI
Develop Haitian business enterprise
that is adept in finding innovative
ways to lift Haitians out of the
poverty cycle by exporting services
within the Caribbean basin.

57. TOWARDS A NEW HAITI
Use education and training, each
with a relevant curriculum, to
penetrate all sectors of Haitian
Society and equip children and
adults alike for a future that includes
living with earthquakes, hurricanes,
etc.

58. TOWARDS A NEW HAITI
Create a Haitian Academy of
Science, Engineering, and
Medicene to function as an
“institute without walls” during
recovery and reconstruction.

59. TOWARDS A NEW HAITI
Adopt and implement a
modern building code and
lifeline standards with
seismic design provisions
that are appropriate for Haiti.

60. TOWARDS A NEW HAITI
Build professional capacity
for urban planning, siting,
design, and construction
through continuous
“training.”