Case Study → 2010 Haiti (LIC) earthquake

Aspect

Details

Context

• Occurred between the Caribbean and North American plates
• Located on a major fault line
• Magnitude: 7.0 (lasted over 1 minute)
• Epicentre was 15 miles from the capital, Port-au-Prince
• Very shallow focus: 13 km deep

Vulnerability

• Haiti was highly vulnerable to this earthquake
• Close to the nation's capital with a population of around 2 million
• Main source of income was remittances
• 80% of the national budget was spent on loan repayments by 1900
• 98% of Haiti was deforested, leading to unstable land
• Widespread poverty; people could not afford quake-proof housing
• The capital was built on unstable soils, causing intense shaking and liquefaction
• Unemployment rate was 75%, with many people surviving on $2 a day
• Nearly 40% of the population was under 14 years of age
• Life expectancy was 52 years
• GDP was only $1,300
• 80% of the population lived below the poverty line
• Only 25 doctors per 100,000 people

Aspect	Details
Capacity to Cope	• Haiti did not have the resources to prepare for a major earthquake • Poor building quality led to widespread collapses • Over 500,000 people in the slums of Cité de Soleil lived in extreme poverty and were worst affected • Haiti was already reliant on international aid before the earthquake
Response (Short-term)	• Internal aid was virtually non-existent as institutions were destroyed • Foreign aid was delayed due to poor transport infrastructure • Satellite imagery from London was used to guide relief efforts • Many countries responded to appeals for aid, but confusion occurred over who was in charge

Aspect

Details

Response (Long-term)

• The USA coordinated aid distribution
• The EU provided $330 million, and the World Bank waived Haiti's debt for 5 years
• Senegal offered land to any Haitians who wanted to migrate
• The Dominican Republic offered support and accepted refugees
• 1.6 million people were in relief camps, but no transitional housing was built
• Camps lacked electricity, water, and sewage disposal, with tents falling apart
• Of the $1.1 billion raised by 23 major charities, only 2% had been released after 1 year
• 1 million people were still displaced 1 year after the earthquake

Aspect	Details
Social Impacts	• Looting and sporadic violence occurred • Approximately 315,000 deaths • 1/4 of government officials died, causing a lack of coordinated relief • Over 1 million people were left homeless • 3 million people were affected • 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings collapsed or were severely damaged • 1 in 5 jobs were lost due to the earthquake
Economic Impacts	• The clothing industry, which accounted for two-thirds of Haiti's exports, suffered major structural damage • The main port was destroyed, severely reducing imports and exports
Environmental Impacts	• Sea levels changed in local areas, causing some parts of the land to sink below sea level • Animal habitats were destroyed due to the earthquake

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