Essay on Haiti Earthquake in 2010

The aim of this CBA is to understand the role of socio-vulnerability in natural calamities I choose this geographical event because I wanted to learn how did this earthquake cause more fatalities than an earthquake of comparable size.

On Tuesday 12th January 2010 at around 4.53 local time, a massive earthquake struck the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince causing an astonishing amount of damage, loss of life, and dislocation. The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.0 with its epicenter being only about 25km southwest of the capital and the focus only about 13km from the surface making its effect even greater.

What is an earthquake?

An earthquake is a sudden violent shaking of the ground caused by movement in the earth's tectonic plates. The movements of the plate tectonics (sliding, colliding, separating) creates intense shaking in the outermost layer of the earth by seismic waves. Materials on earth’s crust are dislocated by pushing forces from either side Depending on the intensity of the pushing and opposing forces, some quakes may not have a gross impact since they are hardly felt. However, other tremors might

Earthquakes are measured on the Richter scale. The Richter scale measures the magnitude of an earthquake (how powerful it is). It is measured using a machine called a seismometer which produces a seismograph. A Richter scale is normally numbered 1-10, though there is no upper limit.

How do earthquakes cause damage?

The destructive effects of earthquakes are landslides, tsunamis, fires, and fault ruptures. The violent shaking of the ground produces the greatest property losses and personal injuries.

Aftershocks are even more disastrous than primary quakes since such tremors can significantly cause an additional loss of life and property bearing in mind that the structures have already been weakened by the primary quake and are highly susceptible to further damages. In the case of Haiti, fourteen aftershocks were experienced with a magnitude greater than five while thirty others with a magnitude more than four. These aftershocks took place within a span of one day after the onset of the main earthquake How do earthquakes affect buildings? | U.S. Geological Survey (usgs.gov)Cause of the 2010 Earthquake in Haiti?

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, due largely to its history of colonization, occupation, and exploitation by Spain, France, and the United States. It is located on the boundary of the Caribbean and North American plates, on a transform or conservative plate boundary. At a conservative plate boundary, the plates move horizontally past each other, without creating or destroying any of the earth's crust The Caribbean and North American plates constantly creep past one another each year, the North American plate is moving west and the Caribbean plate is moving north respectively. Somewhere along the move, the two plates slid past one another and pressure began to build because the North American plate was still trying to move West. This pressure had to be released somewhere, so it was released at the weakest point, the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault line which housed the epicenter of the earthquake. There hasn't been a major quake on this system for about 200 years.

Why do earthquakes in Haiti be so devastating?

It's a combination of factors that include a seismically active area, a high population density of 11 million people, and buildings that are often designed to withstand hurricanes — not earthquakes. Poor building practices can also play a role. To overcome this more earthquake-resistant buildings need to be constructed

Who was affected

• The earthquake affected 3,500,000 people.
• 220,000 people estimated to have died
• 300,000 and more people were injured

Socio-economic impacts

The Haiti earthquake killed more than 200,000 people and left more than 300 000 people injured. In less than a minute, over a quarter of a million (70%) homes and buildings were destroyed, so many people were forced to live either on the streets or in the wreckage. At least 50 hospitals were damaged in the earthquake which meant that it was harder for the injured to receive treatment for their wounds. Transport and communication links were largely disrupted and survivors had no way of contacting family members and friends

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More than 600 000 people left Port-au-prince due to the spread of disease. Haitians, especially children, also faced psychological issues, a large number of children were orphaned and left without parents, where they were homed in crowded tents with little or no security and privacy. Cultural features were also destroyed, churches and community halls collapsed, and buried their innocent victims. The disaster even crippled all emergency services, leaving no effective police, ambulance, or firefighters.

• Haiti's major airport's control tower was badly damaged, as well as the docks and many major roads meaning that it was difficult for the people of Haiti to receive foreign aid packages containing much-needed things like medicine, food, and clean drinking water.
• The clothing industry (which is Haiti's largest) suffered a huge blow as many of the factories were damaged in the earthquake.
• Haiti's largest prison was also affected and around 4 000 inmates escaped alive

Environmental impact

The earthquake had major environmental impacts. The built landscapes of Haiti were destroyed. Broken electricity cables started fires that damaged woodland areas in Haiti. There were many landslides that occurred that destroyed natural landscapes and blocked off rural areas. Important natural and human landmarks, such as the presidential palace were also destroyed. The earthquake also triggered flooding in coastal areas due to tidal waves. The earthquake created a lot of rubble and demolition materials causing the streets to be covered with dust. It also affected hugely on agriculture, farms and crops were damaged causing the food supply to become a major concern. It also caused more problems with water quality which caused cholera, air quality, and climate change.

Solid Waste Sanitation Access:

Crowded conditions, poor sanitation implementation, and flooding are causing environmental damage and increasing infectious diseases. Toilets and latrines, when present in shelter sites, are generally extremely unhygienic and do not meet Sphere Standards

Chemical: Hazardous materials from households and small commercial and industrial sites will be concentrated as debris is collected and processed. There is also the risk of oil and chemical spills throughout the process

Health-Related Issues Drugs: In some areas, medicine is in short supply, and inventory information may not be available to ensure usage and dissemination.

• a decade later, Haiti continues to face multiple crises. Worsening food insecurity and malnutrition, water-borne disease epidemics, and high vulnerability to natural disasters have placed added pressure on women and children
• A major outbreak of diseases such as cholera stuck with the remaining population of Haiti. It was caused by the decomposing corpses that clogged the streets as well as the lack of sanitation that followed the earthquake. Also, the lack of medicine and medical facilities and the cramped conditions meant that disease spread far and fast.

Biohazards: Emergency response operations were generating significant amounts of biohazard waste throughout affected areas of the country, including amputated limbs, as well as a continuing flow of bandages and other medical waste.

What was the cultural impact of the Haiti earthquake?

The earthquake destroyed Haitian culture. The Haitian cultural symbol is of strength and beauty, the earthquake destroyed some of Haiti's most cultural buildings and practices. Some of Haiti's most national treasures filled with heritage were destroyed in the earthquake, this included buildings such as the national palace, the presidential building, the holy trinity church, and the Haiti museum The people of Haiti were also left without hope.

Factors to consider for future management of calamities

The Haiti earthquake could have best been managed by critical timing as part of saving lives. However, communication breakdown led to a slow response in coordination and assessment. Local communities should be trained in disaster preparedness skills so that they are in a position to respond to emergencies at the initial stages before other external parties lend their hand. There were several members of the international community pledged to offer their assistance to the victims of the Haiti earthquake. An Irish telecommunications company Digicel also offered assistance in repairing the broken telecommunication network.

Port-au-Prince was the hardest hit by the earthquake. It is vital to sample soil types from this region. This can be used to evaluate whether the given soil type can amplify vibrations during earthquakes. As a result, buildings and other structures constructed in disaster-prone areas such as in the capital can be modified to withstand any possible shaking.

Moreover, seismic stations should be set up in the country to assist in monitoring earth movements in Haiti as possible indicators of earthquakes to provide early warning signs so that civilians can be evacuated before calamity strikes.