2010 Haitian Earthquake
○ Where and how:
The infamous 2010 earthquake occurred 25km from Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. This region was the most densely populated area of the country, which increased the impact of this event significantly. The earthquake struck at 4:53pm local time on the 12th of January, with a depth of around 13km. This relatively shallow depth meant that most of the energy of the earthquake was released close to the surface, resulting in a devastating catastrophe. The event was first thought to be related to the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault but actually occurred on the newly discovered Leógâne fault located near the Caribbean and North American tectonic plate boundaries. …show more content…
Since 1982, Port-au-Prince had expanded from 750,000 residents to over 2.5 million. This rapid expansion was not planned for which lead to over-crowding and inadequate infrastructure. The area was already affected by poverty as a result of too many residents, and a poor government that did not address the country’s major concerns. The 2010 earthquake was also the worst earthquake to impact the city in over 200 years, although the city had been previously damaged by earthquakes in 1751 and 1770. It is not then surprising that the city’s buildings weren’t built to withstand the effects of an earthquake. In fact, many were not built to regulation at all as the government did not have the resources to enforce building regulations. Given the area’s lack of frequent earthquakes there were no warning systems in place, and there was only one seismometer in the entire country. The lack of warning or preparation for this catastrophe greatly increased its impact and worsened the long-term …show more content…
To provide aid to all those affected would need an immense amount of resources, as shown in figure 2. The Disaster Emergency Committee, an umbrella organisation associated with many other aid agencies, raised $152 million in two months, its second highest amount ever. This money was to be implemented over the course of 3 years, with 28% spent on sanitation, 22% on emergency shelter, 16% on livelihoods and 14% on household items. By providing basic amenities it was hoped that other long-term effects like disease and malnutrition could be averted. However, an estimate of $2.2 billion was needed in order to eliminate Cholera and fund water and sanitation facility repairs. Foreign aid has assisted with long-term solutions by providing 23,000 people in farming communities with tools and seeds, educating 116,000 people about future disasters, and offering medical care particularly to those affected by the Cholera outbreak. With projects such as providing literacy classes for over 60,000 women also implemented, it is clear that foreign aid has significantly assisted the situation. Nevertheless, it is also true that various political and social opinions regard foreign aid as interference, some believing that all donated money should be given directly to the Haitian government rather than aid
○ Where and how:
The infamous 2010 earthquake occurred 25km from Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. This region was the most densely populated area of the country, which increased the impact of this event significantly. The earthquake struck at 4:53pm local time on the 12th of January, with a depth of around 13km. This relatively shallow depth meant that most of the energy of the earthquake was released close to the surface, resulting in a devastating catastrophe. The event was first thought to be related to the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault but actually occurred on the newly discovered Leógâne fault located near the Caribbean and North American tectonic plate boundaries. …show more content…
Since 1982, Port-au-Prince had expanded from 750,000 residents to over 2.5 million. This rapid expansion was not planned for which lead to over-crowding and inadequate infrastructure. The area was already affected by poverty as a result of too many residents, and a poor government that did not address the country’s major concerns. The 2010 earthquake was also the worst earthquake to impact the city in over 200 years, although the city had been previously damaged by earthquakes in 1751 and 1770. It is not then surprising that the city’s buildings weren’t built to withstand the effects of an earthquake. In fact, many were not built to regulation at all as the government did not have the resources to enforce building regulations. Given the area’s lack of frequent earthquakes there were no warning systems in place, and there was only one seismometer in the entire country. The lack of warning or preparation for this catastrophe greatly increased its impact and worsened the long-term …show more content…
To provide aid to all those affected would need an immense amount of resources, as shown in figure 2. The Disaster Emergency Committee, an umbrella organisation associated with many other aid agencies, raised $152 million in two months, its second highest amount ever. This money was to be implemented over the course of 3 years, with 28% spent on sanitation, 22% on emergency shelter, 16% on livelihoods and 14% on household items. By providing basic amenities it was hoped that other long-term effects like disease and malnutrition could be averted. However, an estimate of $2.2 billion was needed in order to eliminate Cholera and fund water and sanitation facility repairs. Foreign aid has assisted with long-term solutions by providing 23,000 people in farming communities with tools and seeds, educating 116,000 people about future disasters, and offering medical care particularly to those affected by the Cholera outbreak. With projects such as providing literacy classes for over 60,000 women also implemented, it is clear that foreign aid has significantly assisted the situation. Nevertheless, it is also true that various political and social opinions regard foreign aid as interference, some believing that all donated money should be given directly to the Haitian government rather than aid