m7.0 earthquake strikes haiti the western hemisphere’s poorest nation with 8 in 10 at poverty...
TRANSCRIPT
M7.0 EARTHQUAKE STRIKES HAITI
THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE’S POOREST NATION WITH 8 IN 10 AT POVERTY LEVEL
4:52 p.m.; JANUARY 12, 2010
From the Global Alliance for Disaster ReductionWith contributions from NEMO Secretariat Saint Lucia
It was the largest quake ever recorded in the area and the first major one since a M6.7
temblor in 1984
IT OCCURRED IN THE NORTH AMERICAN-CARIBBEAN PLATE
SUBDUCTION ZONE
SHALLOW HYPOCENTER
• The US Geological Survey reported that the earthquake was centered about 10 miles (16 km) west of Port-au-Prince, with 1.8 million people in the area at high risk.
• The quake’s shallow depth - about 5 miles (8 km), exacerbated damage.
THE PRESIDENT OF HAITI SURVIVED
• The President survived and took control of the emergency response.
SOCIETAL IMPACTS
• The lives of 3 million people were adversely impacted.
• Saving Haitian lives is priority one.
• A major concern is how to care for the homeless and injured and how and where to provide temporary housing for them.
CATASTROPHIC DEATH TOLL FEARED
• The fear is that thousands of casualties will be found during the search and rescue operations and as rubble of thousands of collapsed buildings is cleared.
BUILDING DAMAGE
• Thousands of buildings (houses, schools, hospitals) were damaged or destroyed.
• The airport communication tower was damaged, but a runway was operational.
INFRASTRUCTURE DAMAGE
• Power was knocked out.
• Communication was disrupted.
• Utility service was interrupted.
SOCIETAL IMPACTS: PUBLIC BUILDINGS
• Numerous public buildings were destroyed, including: a hospital, the Presidential Palace, the parliament building, the Finance Ministry, The Public Works Ministry, the Palace of Justice and Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Port-au-Prince, the national cathedral
OFFICES OF THE UNITED NATIONS
• The building housing the United Nations personnel collapsed, slowing, but not stopping UN humanitarian asistance.
INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
• The USA provided immediate assistance (e.g., financial, logistical, security, and damage assessment) at the request of the President of Haiti.
INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
• International NGO’s responded immediately (e.g., Catholic Relief Services, World Vision, International Federation Red Cross, etc.,).
Global AssistanceCanada, Australia, France and a number of Latin
American and Caribbean nations have also said they are mobilising their aid response.
POVERTY EXACERBATED BY PAST DISASTERS
• Hurricane Gordon killed more than 1,000 people in 1994
• Hurricane Georges killed more than 400 and destroyed most of the crops in 1998.
HAITI IMPACTED BY PAST DISASTERS
• In 2004, heavy rains from Hurricane Jeanne caused landslides and flooding that killed more than 3,000 people, mostly in the city of Gonaives.
• Gonaives was hit again in 2008, by four tropical storms.
THE KEY IS: THE KEY IS:
1) KNOW THE DISASTER 1) KNOW THE DISASTER HISTORY OF YOUR HISTORY OF YOUR
REGIONREGION
2) KNOW YOUR 2) KNOW YOUR COMMUNITYCOMMUNITY
LessonSource: Primer Series Global Alliance for Disaster ReductionSource: Primer Series Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction