GCSE LEDC Case Study - Haiti

Haiti Earthquake 2010

Case Study

Key Facts

12^th January 2010, 16.53 local time

316,000 people dead

300,000 injured

Magnitude: 7

Depth of focus: 13km

Background Information

80% of its 9.7 million people live below the poverty line

•   3 million people live in Port au Prince with the majority living in slum conditions after rapid urbanisation
•   300,000 people live in the Cite Soliel slum where there are no paved roads, sewers, electricity or water.
•   Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, its GDP is only $1,200 per person, 207^th in the world.
•   Just before 5 p.m. on January 12, 2010, a magnitude 7 earthquake struck Haiti about 10 miles southwest of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
•   8 aftershocks in the two hours after the main earthquake were recorded, with magnitudes between 4.3 and 5.9.

Causes

The Haiti earthquake occurred at a fault that runs right through Haiti and is situated along the boundary between the Caribbean and North American plates.

The two tectonic plates constantly creep past one another, about 0.8 inches a year, with the Caribbean plate moving eastward, and the North American plate moves westwards. It is a conservative plate boundary.

Primary (caused directly by the earthquake)

316,000 people were killed and 1 million people were made homeless.  3 million people were affected by the earthquake

250,000 homes and 30,000 other buildings, including the President’s Palace and 60% of government buildings, were either destroyed or badly damaged

Transport and communication links were also badly damaged by the earthquake

Hospitals (50+) and over half of Haiti’s schools and universities were badly damaged, as was the airport’s control tower

The main prison was destroyed and 4,000 inmates escaped.      Roads were blocked with road debris and road surfaces were broken. The main road linking Port-au-Prince with Jacmel remained blocked ten days after the earthquake, hampering delivery of aid to Jacmel.  Secondary (result from primary effects) 1 in 5 people lost their jobs because so many buildings were destroyed.  Haiti’s largest industry, clothing was one of the worst affected The large number of deaths meant that hospitals and morgues became full and bodies then had to be piled up on the streets The large number of bodies meant that diseases, especially cholera, became a serious problem It was difficult getting aid into the area because of issues at the airport and generally poor management of the situation People were squashed into shanty towns or onto the streets because their homes had been destroyed leading to poor sanitation and health, and looting became a real problem

Response

Short Term

$100 million in aid given by the USA and $330 million by the European Union

810,000 people placed in aid camps

115,000 tents and 1,000,000+ tarpaulin shelters provided

Healthcare supplies provided to limit disease

Lack of immediate aid through poor planning, management and access meant that people had to try and rescue each other

43 million people were provided with food rations in the weeks following the earthquake Port-au-Prince morgues were quickly overwhelmed with many tens of thousands of bodies having to be buried in mass graves Long Term 6 months after the earthquake, 98% of the rubble on the roads hadn’t been cleared restricting aid access 1 million people still without houses after 1 year so still have to live in aid camps Support for people without jobs, which equates to nearly 70% of the population, through cash/food-for-work projects Temporary schools created and new teachers trainee Water and sanitation eventually supplied for 1.7 million people The Dominican Republic which neighbours Haiti offered support and accepted some refugees. The World Bank waived the countries dept repayments for 5 years