Bicol University

College Of Engineering

Civil Engineering Department

Learning from the Real-World Geological Events: A Case Study Guide for

Civil Engineering Students

“THE 2010 HAITI EARTHQUAKE”

The 2010 Haiti Earthquake: Causes, Impacts, and Responses

The country of Haiti is located in the Caribbean on the western third of the island

Hispaniola. It is bordered by the Dominican Republic to the east, the Caribbean

Sea, and the Northern Atlantic Ocean. Haiti's terrain consists mainly of rugged

mountains interspersed with small coastal plains and river valleys. The

government system is a republic; the chief of state is the president, and the head

of government is the prime minister. Haiti has a largely traditional economic

system in which most of the economy relies on subsistence farming, and

government regulation is widely constrained. Haiti is a member of the Caribbean

Community (CARICOM).

2010 Haiti earthquake, large-scale earthquake that occurred January 12, 2010,

on the West Indian island of Hispaniola, comprising the countries of Haiti and

the Dominican Republic. Most severely affected was Haiti, occupying the western

third of the island.

The earthquake hit at 4:53 PM some 15 miles (25 km) southwest of the Haitian

capital of Port-au-Prince. The initial shock registered a magnitude of 7.0 and was

soon followed by two aftershocks of magnitudes 5.9 and 5.5.

More aftershocks occurred in the following days, including another one of

magnitude 5.9 that struck on January 20 at Petit Goâve, a town some 35 miles

(55 km) west of Port-au-Prince. Haiti had not been hit by an earthquake of such

enormity since the 18th century, the closest in force being a 1984 shock of

magnitude 6.9. A magnitude-8.0 earthquake had struck the Dominican Republic

in 1946.
Causes:

The Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault system is considered likely responsible for

Saturday's quake (Haiti Earthquak), as well as the one in 2010, according to the

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The earthquake was generated by contractional deformation along the Léogâne

fault, a small hidden thrust fault discovered underneath the city of Léogâne. The

Léogâne fault, which cannot be observed at the surface, descends northward at

an oblique angle away from the EPG fault system, and many geologists contend

that the earthquake resulted from the slippage of rock upward across its plane of

fracture.

Occurring at a depth of 8.1 miles (13 km), the temblor was fairly shallow, which

increased the degree of shaking at the Earth’s surface. The shocks were felt

throughout Haiti and the Dominican Republic as well as in parts of nearby

Cuba, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. The densely populated region around Port-au-

Prince, located on the Gulf of Gonâve, was among those most heavily affected.

Farther south the city of Jacmel also sustained significant damage, and to the

west the city of Léogâne, even closer to the epicentre than Port-au-Prince, was

essentially leveled.

Impacts:

Human Impact

 The catastrophic earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, killed

more than 250,000 people, left over 1.5 million homeless, and destroyed
 much of the nation’s infrastructure. It also devastated Haiti’s rich cultural

heritage. Historic buildings, museums, libraries, archives, galleries, churches,

theaters, artists’ workshops, and marketplaces were damaged and ruined.

 Around 1.3 million people are living in temporary shelters in the Port-au-

Prince metropolitan area and over 500,000 people have left the disaster

areas to seek refuge in the rest of the country. The result is an exacerbation

of the difficulties that already existed in gaining access to food and basic

services. By striking at the very heart of the Haitian economy and

administration, the earthquake had an acute effect on the human and

institutional capacity of both the public and the private sectors, and of

international technical and financial partners and certain nongovernmental

organisations (NGOs).

Infrastructure Impact

 There has been massive infrastructure destruction. Some 105,000 homes

have been completely destroyed and more than 208,000 damaged. Over

1,300 educational establishments, and over 50 hospitals and health centres,

have collapsed or are unusable. Part of the country’s main port is not

operational. The President’s Palace, Parliament, the Law Courts, and most of

the Ministry and public administration buildings have been destroyed.

 The infrastructure damage and significant loss of life within the Haitian

government and international aid agencies slowed the early response and

reduced the already low levels of basic service provision.

Environmental Impact

 At a time when environmental indicators were already in the ‘red’ zone, the

earthquake added to considerably to the pollution, nuisances, and risks that

were already afflicting the people in the disaster zones, and increased the

pressure on the environment, natural resources, and the country’s protected

areas, thereby placing the people of Haiti in conditions of extreme

vulnerability.

Responses:

 The Haiti earthquake emergency response team assisted almost 2 million

people during the first 90 days following the disaster. These efforts included

providing basic services such as food assistance, shelter, and water,

sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).

From 2010 to 2015, as a result of World Vision’s work:

 2 million people received food aid.

 More than 200,000 people received emergency shelter.

 250,000 students participated in school feeding programs in more than

800 schools.

 300,000 people benefited from cholera treatment and prevention

programs.

 90,000 displaced people in camps received potable water for close to

24 months.
  19,000 farmers were trained in better agriculture techniques to

increase crop yields.

 10 schools were constructed.

 30 Child-Friendly Spaces served nearly 8,000 children.

World Vision continues to work in Haiti to equip children and families to

create sustainable change so they can move from subsistence to a sustainable

and full life.’

 In the aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, USAID has

provided relief, recovery and long-term reconstruction assistance:

- Relief (rapid, life-saving emergency humanitarian assistance):

- Search and Rescue:Deployed seven search-and-rescue teams as part of

an international rescue effort that saved more than 130 lives.

- Emergency Food Assistance: Provided emergency food relief for nearly

four million people in the first three months after the earthquake, the

largest emergency food distribution ever.

- Water: Provided safe drinking water for up to 1.3 million people daily

following the earthquake.

- Sanitation: USAID and other international donors provided support for

the installation of more than 11,500 latrines and 25 water systems.

 - Emergency Shelter: In cooperation with international partners, provided

basic shelter materials to 1.5 million people in the five months after the

earthquake (prior to the start of rainy season).

 Four years after this devastating earthquake, our five year disaster recovery

programme has helped over 57,000 families (roughly 250,000

people). With the help of our supporters and donors, this is what we’ve

achieved, in the 12 months following the disaster:

 Built 300 permanent homes in Léogâne.

 Constructed 5,000 upgradable shelters.

 Repaired 683 homes in Port-au-Prince and Cabaret.

 Created 2,100 job opportunities.

 Implemented 19 critical infrastructure projects such as kiosks for safe

water, street lighting and improved sanitation.

 Conducted 12,000 damage assessments.

 Provided 2,000 people with access to clean water.

 Trained 6,600 people in construction skills, financial literacy, business

development, and health and hygiene to curb the outbreak of cholera.

 Assembled and distributed 24,600 emergency shelter kits.

 Set up the Haiti Property Law Working Group to help Haiti deal with long-

standing land issues.

Habitat for Humanity’s Santo community has literally risen from the dust of the

earthquake to become home for 300 families left homeless by the disaster.
References:

 https://www.kenyoninternational.com/Media/haiti-earthquake/

 https://www.britannica.com/event/2010-Haiti-earthquake

 https://globaledge.msu.edu/countries/haiti#:~:text=The%20country

%20of%20Haiti%20is,coastal%20plains%20and%20river%20valleys.

 https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/08/haiti-earthquakes-explainer-

natural-disaster/#:~:text=The%20Enriquillo%2DPlantain%20Garden

%20fault%20system%20is%20considered%20likely

%20responsible,suddenly%20slip%20past%20each%20other.

 https://culturalrescue.si.edu/what-we-do/response/haiti-earthquake/

#:~:text=The%20catastrophic%20earthquake%20that

%20struck,devastated%20Haiti's%20rich%20cultural%20heritage.

 https://www.worldvision.org/disaster-relief-news-stories/2010-haiti-

earthquake-facts

 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1193/1.3637746?

journalCode=eqsa#:~:text=Of%20the%20direct%20losses

%20to,exporting%20products%20(GoH%202010).

 https://www.gfdrr.org/sites/default/files/

GFDRR_Haiti_PDNA_2010_EN.pdf

 https://www.usaid.gov/haiti/earthquake-overview#:~:text=Search

%20and%20Rescue%3ADeployed%20seven,largest%20emergency

%20food%20distribution%20ever.
 https://www.habitatforhumanity.org.uk/what-we-do/natural-disaster-

response/disaster-relief-in-haiti/