HAITI EARTHQUAKE 2010

Where is Haiti? 1. Label Haiti and surrounding countries on your blank map. 2. In you book, describe Haiti’s location. Use the following in your description…. 20ºNorth of the equator, Dominican Republic, Cuba, east of, west of, north of, south of, Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean.

HAITI UK

Population 9,035,536 61,113,205

0-14 years 38.1% 16.7%

Median age 20.2 years 40.2 years

Infant mortality rate

59.69/1000 births 4.85/1000 births

Life expectancy at birth

60.78 79.01

Fertility rate (children born per woman)

3.81 1.66

Adult literacy rate 52.9% 99%

Describe the differences between Haiti and the UK in terms of their development.

The NATURAL causes…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsJhijLJB1s&feature=player_embedded

Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 04:53:10 PM

Haiti lies on a CONSERVATIVE plate boundary. The North American and Caribbean plates are sliding next to each other.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOQaANsfOxA&feature=player_embedded

• Why Haiti is so prone to earthquakes.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhLUMNdO8ic&feature=channel

• The earthquake caught on film…

Haiti Earthquake Facts

• The 7.0-magnitude quake struck close to the Haitian capital Port au Prince on January 12th 2010 at 16.53 local time (2153 GMT).

• It was the worst earthquake to hit Haiti in 200 years. • Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere, greatly

increasing the risk that people will suffer or die in the aftermath of a natural disaster.

• The latest estimated death toll issued by the Government of Haiti stands at 230,000 people.

• 300,000 people are believed to have been injured. • 1.2 million people were left needing emergency shelter. • Many survivors lost family, homes, livelihoods and essential services. • Between 2,500 and 4,600 schools were affected by the earthquake,

according to an initial audit by the Ministry of Education. • Hospitals and clinics were destroyed. Those that were left were

overcrowded, understaffed and rapidly ran out of drugs and equipment. • The collapse of the healthcare system left the lives of thousands of

expectant mothers and the lives of their unborn babies at risk, with women having to deliver their babies in emergency camps.

• The earthquake destroyed government buildings, cutting power and telephone lines and blocking roads.

• The United Nations headquarters collapsed, killing and injuring scores of people.

• Thousands of families including parents and children were separated in the chaos.

Haiti 360

• http://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2010/01/world/haiti.360/index.3.html

• http://www.immersivemedia.com/haiti/

The devastating earthquakes that hit China on 12 May 2008, Italy on 6 April 2009 and Haiti one month ago all measured above 6.0 and took many lives.

Why was the human cost so much greater for Haiti?

• When Pete Garratt, Red Cross head of disaster relief, received an alert on 12 January indicating a large quake had hit Haiti near its capital Port-au-Prince, he instantly recognised the seriousness of the emergency.

"I knew that meant deaths and injuries," he says.

There are a number of critical factors, learned through years of experience, that contribute to the scale of devastation following such big shifts of the Earth's crust.

• The size of the quake • How near it is to the surface, • The density of the population near its epicentre, as well as • Whether there are any heavily urbanised areas nearby.

These all indicate a higher death toll - and were all features of the Haiti quake.

HUMAN CAUSES…

• Poverty also plays its role, Mr Garratt explains, as it exacerbates a country's or region's vulnerability to such disasters.

• In places such as Haiti, where 72.1% of the population live on less than $2 a day, and in cities like Port-au-Prince, where many are housed in poor and densely-packed shantytowns and badly-constructed buildings, the devastation is always expected to be greater.

• "These countries have less money to put into buildings and there is less governance ensuring building codes are followed," Mr Garratt explains.

• Therefore, the fact that the Haiti quake hit close to a poorly-constructed, large urban area was crucial in reducing people's chances of survival.

Aid following the Haiti Earthquake

There were 13 charities involved including The British Red Cross.

Search and rescue teamsDoctors and nursesAirdrops – ready to eat meals

and water, high energy biscuits.

Floating airport Inflatable hospitalTentsMedical supplies

Within hours of the earthquake the Lincolnshire fire and rescue team were on a plane from Gatwick bound for Haiti….

Searching for survivors amongst the rubble.

AID…

Why was getting aid in difficult?

• The airport was not very big

• The main port was badly damaged

• Roads were badly damaged making transport difficult

• Phones and internet were down

• Worries about safety

Longer term aid…• Providing food for over 2 million people – staple

foods rather than just emergency ration packs.• Fixing the collapsed water supply system.• Physical rehabilitation of those with amputations,

mental health issues etc.• Tent settlements can only be short term –

hurricane season starts in June.• Rebuild homes and buildings.• Water, road, electricity and telephone systems

repaired.• Seaport and airport fixed.• UN employ 220,000 Haitians to work clearing

debris and restoring the infrastructure.

Haiti’s history of hardship…

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttqexOlqhWM&feature=player_embedded

Haiti – a multiple hazard zone

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK9ITxQOITg&feature=player_embedded

Hurricanes that have passed close to Port au Prince

since 1980.

The next disaster to hit Haiti??

Extended Response Question: Why was the Haitian Earthquake so deadly?

You should include:

• A map to show the location of Haiti

• A diagram to show the plate boundary

• The CAUSES that led to the earthquake being so deadly.

• The EFFECTS of the earthquake – short term (directly after the earthquake) and long term (in the months following the disaster).

• What was done to help the people of Haiti?

• A conclusion – in answer to the original question.

A B72% the population live on less than $2 a day

A lot of people live in the capital city so a large number were affected.

The epicentre was close to the capital city of Port au Prince

People didn’t get the help they needed and died from their injuries.

Haiti has a poor healthcare system. Many hospitals were destroyed in the quake.

So people live in slum houses. These are poorly built and easily collapsed.

The earthquake left roads blocked. Life in a tent is hard. With little food and diseases spreading more people died.

1.2 million people were left needing emergency accommodation.

More buildings collapsed and people were killed as a result.

There were hundreds of aftershocks. This made it very difficult to reach the people that needed help.

Match one statement from side A with the correct ending from side B to put together some of the causes that contributed to Haiti becoming such a big disaster.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MnCW3omLB4 song for Haiti…