HOW LIVES WERE SHAKEN IN HAITI – LITERALLY.

By Kyla Delaney A. Lim

Photo source: TIME Photographs (Haiti’s Earthquake Destruction)

A catastrophic earthquake strikes in the Caribbean Island Nation of Haiti in January 12, 2010
leaving 10 million of its population in shock, severely injured, homeless, and others dead. The quake,
with a magnitude of 7.0 was the most cataclysmal and strongest to strike the region in more than 200
years. At 4:53 p.m. local time, the earthquake hit southern Haiti and in just about 35 seconds to up to a
minute, many local structures and homes collapsed and beneath those fallen debris were the
unfortunate people who failed to avoid them. About 220,000-300,000 people were killed and about
300,000 people were injured with the 1.5 million people being initially displaced. The casualties were so
high that many people from around the world questioned why this quake has been so destructive.

So why was this earthquake so disastrous? Haiti is ranked as one of the poorest countries in the
world – making the vulnerability of the people very high. This percedes disaster and contributes to its
severity. Their capacity to cope and reduce the risk of disasters through preparation, mitigation, and
recovery was very low. With the lack of budget, most of Haiti’s structures are badly built, which fell over
easily. In rich and developing countries like Japan, most of their buildings are made up of expensive
materials and are designed to withstand massive earthquakes. Another factor is the location where it
happened. The epicentre of the quake, which is where it was strongest, was just 10 miles from the
capital, Port-au-Prince and was 5 miles underground. Many people were exposed to the unexpected
hazard and the fact that the epicentre was close to the surface, caused the strong shaking of the ground
making weak-structured buildings collapse. Even after the 7.0 magnitude quake, there were a series of
atleast 10 aftershocks reaching the magnitude of 5.0. This caused even more damage and fear to the
community.

Haiti is especially vulnerable to natural disasters. Its location puts it at risk for hurricanes and
earthquakes, and a lack of adequate infrstructure amplifies the effects of these disasters. After the
tragedy, Haiti begins the rebuilding process once again with the helping aid of other countries such as
Brazil, USA, New Zealand, Indonesia, Israel, and many more.

Retrieved from: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/massive-earthquake-strikes-haiti

https://countryeconomy.com/demography/population/port-au-prince?year=2010

https://amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2013/12/12/world/haiti-earthquake-fast-facts/index.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_8450000/newsid_8456900/8456976.stm