case study geography haiti

Haiti Case study

Haiti earthquake, caribbean (lic).

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, its GDP is only $1,200 per person, and its HDI is incredibly low at 0.404, 145th in the world and 80 % of its 9.7 Million people live below the poverty line.

Port Au Prince, the capital, is on a fault line running off the Puerto Rico Trench, where the North American Plate is sliding under the Caribbean plate.  There were many aftershocks after the main event. The earthquake occurred on January 12th 2010, the epicentre was centred just 10 miles southwest of the capital city, Port au Prince and the quake was shallow—only about 10-15 kilometres below the land's surface.  The event measured 7.0 on the Richter Magnitude scale.

There were many impacts including; •316,000 people died and more than a million people were made homeless, even in 2011 people remained in make shift temporary homes.  Large parts of this impoverished nation were damaged, most importantly the capital Port Au Prince, where shanty towns and even the presidential palace crumbled to dust. 3 million people in total were affected. Few of the Buildings in Haiti were built with earthquakes in mind, contributing to their collapse •The government of Haiti also estimated that 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged.  The port, other major roads and communication links were damaged beyond repair and needed replacing.  The clothing industry, which accounts for two-thirds of Haiti's exports, reported structural damage at manufacturing facilities.  It is estimated the 1 in 5 jobs were lost as a result of the quake •Rubble from collapsed buildings blocked roads and rail links. • The port was destroyed • Sea levels in local areas changed, with some parts of the land sinking below the sea • The roads were littered with cracks and fault lines

By Photo Marco Dormino/ The United Nations United Nations Development Programme 

Short term responses Many countries responded to appeals for aid, pledging funds and dispatching rescue and medical teams, engineers and support personnel. Communication systems, air, land, and sea transport facilities, hospitals, and electrical networks had been damaged by the earthquake, which slowed rescue and aid efforts. There was much confusion over who was in charge, air traffic congestion, and problems with prioritisation of flights further complicated early relief work. Port-au-Prince's morgues were quickly overwhelmed with many tens of thousands of bodies having to be buried in mass graves. As rescues tailed off, supplies, medical care and sanitation became priorities. Delays in aid distribution led to angry appeals from aid workers and survivors, and looting and sporadic violence were observed. Medicines San Frontiers, a charity, tried to help casualties whilst the USA took charge of trying to coordinate Aid distribution

Long term recovery: • The EU gave $330 million and the World Bank waived the countries debt repayments for 5 years. • The Senegalese offered land in Senegal to any Haitians who wanted it! • 6 months after the quake, 98% of the rubble remained uncleared, some still blocking vital access roads. • The number of people in relief camps of tents and tarps since the quake was 1.6 million, and almost no transitional housing had been built.  Most of the camps had no electricity, running water, or sewage disposal, and the tents were beginning to fall apart. • Between 23 major charities, $1.1 billion had been collected for Haiti for relief efforts, but only two percent of the money had been released • One year after the earthquake 1 million people remained displaced • The Dominican Republic which neighbours Haiti offered support and accepted some refugees.  

By Daniel Barker, U.S. Navy

CONTRASTING TECTONIC EVENTS

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Tiburon Peninsula Earthquake, Haiti, 2021 Case Study

Edexcel iGCSE > Hazardous Environments > Tiburon Peninsula Earthquake , Haiti, 2021 Case Study

When and Where Did It Occur? In August 2021, a significant earthquake struck the Tiburon Peninsula in Haiti. The earthquake was magnitude 7.2 and was centred approximately 150 km west of Port-au-Prince, with a shallow focus of 10 km depth.

Why Did It Occur? The earthquake occurred due to the complex interaction of tectonic plates near Haiti, where the Caribbean Plate moves eastward relative to the North American Plate. This tectonic activity is typical for the region, which is known for its seismic vulnerability.

Short-term Impacts The immediate aftermath of the earthquake was devastating:

• Approximately 2,250 people were killed, and over 12,750 were injured.
• The earthquake resulted in widespread damage, estimated between US $1.5 and $1.7 billion.
• Over 900 aftershocks followed the main event, with significant ones occurring into 2022, causing additional fatalities and damages.
• Hurricane Grace compounded the disaster the following day, triggering thousands of landslides further destabilising the region.
• Significant infrastructural damage included the destruction or severe damage of 137,500 buildings, over 50 medical facilities, and 1,000 schools, particularly affecting Les Cayes, Haiti’s third-largest city.

Long-term Impacts The earthquake’s long-term consequences have been profound:

• The primary ongoing need has been for adequate shelter, with many Haitians still displaced or living in inadequate conditions.
• There is a continued demand for basic services, such as food, water, medical care, and access to COVID-19 vaccines.
• Efforts to rebuild critical infrastructure such as communications, transport, water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH), and electrical supplies are ongoing.
• Six months after the earthquake, Haiti estimated it required around $2 billion for recovery and reconstruction, focusing on social services, housing, health, education, and food supply.
• The research into building resilience, using remote sensing and local volunteer data collection, has influenced plans to ensure future buildings are more earthquake-resistant.

When and Where?

In August 2021, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the Tiburon Peninsula in Haiti, approximately 150 km west of Port-au-Prince, with a shallow depth of 10 km.

The earthquake was caused by the eastward movement of the Caribbean Plate relative to the North American Plate, a region known for its high seismic activity and vulnerability.

Short-term Impacts

The quake resulted in approximately 2,250 deaths and over 12,750 injuries, with damages estimated between US $1.5 and $1.7 billion. Over 900 aftershocks and the subsequent Hurricane Grace caused further extensive damage, including destroying 137,500 buildings.

Long-term Impacts

Ongoing challenges included the need for shelter for displaced populations, the rebuilding of infrastructure, and the continuous demand for basic services like healthcare and clean water. Six months after the disaster, Haiti required an estimated $2 billion for comprehensive recovery and rebuilding.

Resilience and Recovery

Efforts to increase earthquake resilience are underway, incorporating advanced research and local community involvement to design more robust structures for future safety.

Coming soon

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Haiti Earthquake Case Study

A level geography (h481), exeter college, exeter, recommended for you.

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Preview text, case study: haiti - lidc.

 Poorest country in Americas, situated at W end of Caribbean Island of Hispaniola, regularly impacted by eq.  Part of a volcanic island-arc  Up until 2010 eq, most of seismic activity of recent times taken place in E of island, Dominican Republic  Largest eq in Haiti in living memory was a 4MW eq close to capital Port-au-Prince  Took place on Enriquillo fault

 Tectonics of Caribbean are complex but this and other faults are lateral movements typical of

conservative margins whereby Caribbean plate is slipping E relative to N. American plate.

Haiti Earthquake, 12/01/2010, 4:53pm local time. Geophysical details:

 7 MW  Slip along a 40km section of Enriquillo fault  Epicentre 25km SW of Port-au-Prince (capital city)  Focus 12km  Shaking lasted 12-14 seconds with sig. aftershocks within 20mins of 6 and 5 and then another of 5 on 20 January  51 aftershocks >4 in year after initial 12 Jan event

 Haiti had no seismic network to record eq events

Social impacts:

 All but one of 22 gov. buildings within capital destroyed. Gov and state institutions widely regarded as weak and corrupt before eq and were not in control of decision making after event.  Official figures: 316,000 but other estimates based on survey data suggest a much lower figure b/n 46,000 and 84,000.  +300,000 houses and 30,000 commercial buildings either damaged/destroyed – 1 displaced  Before eq: 50% of Haitians had no access to fresh water, +50% had no access to most basic health care.  Secondary effect of eq: cholera epidemic broke out in Oct 2010; first case detected close to UN base for Nepalese troops bought in to help with reconstruction effort. Since that first case, +800,000 cases of cholera recorded. 2020: under 10,  2009: 149th in UN’s HDI global rankings – 2020: 169th  3.7mn/11 undernourished

 2018: US$11bn of aid spent in Haiti

Economic and political impacts:

 Once regarded as ‘Pearl of the Antilles’ – a French colony devoted almost entirely to production of sugar cane by African slaves on plantations. Economic historians calculate that more profit was made per unit area in Haiti and its English equivalent, nearby Jamaica, than anywhere else on planet at end of C. economy destroyed TRF and while enormously profitable for absentee plantation owners, it involved levels of brutality that were extreme even by distorted standards of the time.  During French Revolution and inspired by it, a slave rebellion est. Haiti as 1st independent nation in Latin America and only state in history est. by a slave revolt. When French reluctantly gave Haiti its independence, it insisted that new Haitian gov. should pay US$21bn compensation to French gov for loss of slaves. Not fully repaid until 1947  USA military occupied country b/n 1915 and 1934 and then supported a series of dictators that largely served US interests. Economy was agricultural.

 Since eq, economy has barely recovered. Aid money has not been directed at an economic

recovery, with schemes such as establishment of tourism and a more diverse economy less reliant on US companies that have not delivered very much. Haitians working abroad provide 25% of

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Module : A Level Geography (H481)

University : exeter college, exeter.

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