IB Geography – Hazards & Disasters Case Study Summary Sheet for Haiti Earthquake 2010 (LEDC) Where did it happen? Haiti is located in the Caribbean Sea, south east of Cuba and is part of the island originally called Hispaniola. It shares a border with the Dominican Republic and the capital city is Port au Prince. Haiti regularly suffers from considerable natural disasters being located on a major tectonic plate boundary but also in the path of some of the most violent hurricanes that sweep in from the Atlantic Ocean every year. In fact, in 2008, Hurricane Gustav ravaged the island destroying 3000 houses, damaging nearly 12,000 and killing nearly 80 people. Haiti was still re-building phase when it was hit by the great quake of 2010. The quake struck approximately 25 km WSW from Port-au-Prince at a depth of 13 km. Over 2 million Haitians live in Port au Prince and it is the most densely population area of the country. CIA Fact Box – Haiti Need To Know Indicator Values (2014 estimated) GDP per capita PPP $1300 People Living in Poverty (less than $2 per day) 80% of the population Access to Clean Water 46% of the population Life Expectancy 63 years Literacy Rate 48.7% People Per Doctor 0.25 doctors per 1000 people When did it happen? Date. Tuesday 12 January 2010 Time (local). 16.53 Duration. A matter of seconds but in the proceeding 12 days, a total of 52 aftershocks were recorded each further weakening and damaging infrastructure. The earthquake happened in the late afternoon meaning that populations were spread out in risky areas (workplace, home, transportation). No foreshocks had been recorded and no advanced warning had been given of the forthcoming earthquake event.
IB Geography – Hazards & Disasters Case Study Summary Sheet for Haiti Earthquake 2010 (LEDC) Where did it happen? Haiti is located in the Caribbean Sea, south east of Cuba and is part of the island originally called Hispaniola. It shares a border with the Dominican Republic and the capital city is Port au Prince. Haiti regularly suffers from considerable natural disasters being located on a major tectonic plate boundary but also in the path of some of the most violent hurricanes that sweep in from the Atlantic Ocean every year. In fact, in 2008, Hurricane Gustav ravaged the island destroying 3000 houses, damaging nearly 12,000 and killing nearly 80 people. Haiti was still re-building phase when it was hit by the great quake of 2010. The quake struck approximately 25 km WSW from Port-au-Prince at a depth of 13 km. Over 2 million Haitians live in Port au Prince and it is the most densely population area of the country. CIA Fact Box – Haiti Need To Know Indicator Values (2014 estimated) GDP per capita PPP $1300 People Living in Poverty (less than $2 per day) 80% of the population Access to Clean Water 46% of the population Life Expectancy 63 years Literacy Rate 48.7% People Per Doctor 0.25 doctors per 1000 people When did it happen? Date. Tuesday 12 January 2010 Time (local). 16.53 Duration. A matter of seconds but in the proceeding 12 days, a total of 52 aftershocks were recorded each further weakening and damaging infrastructure. The earthquake happened in the late afternoon meaning that populations were spread out in risky areas (workplace, home, transportation). No foreshocks had been recorded and no advanced warning had been given of the forthcoming earthquake event.
haiti_quake_2010.docx