M7.0 EARTHQUAKE STRIKES HAÏTI THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE’S POOREST NATION WITH 8 IN 10 AT POVERTY LEVEL 4:53 p.m.; JANUARY 12, 2010 From the Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction With contributions from NEMO Secretariat Saint Lucia

DISASTER RISKS FACED BY THE CARIBBEAN FIRES HURRICANES VOLCANOES FLOODS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE DEVELOP POLICIES FOR ACTIONS HAVING HIGH BENEFIT/COST FOR THE CARIBBEAN REGION GOAL: REDUCE DISASTER RISK LANDSLIDES EARTHQUAKES MEDICAL EMERGENCIES

LOCATION

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

A CAPITOL OF 1.8 MILLION IN A NATION OF NINE MILLION

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.

IT OCCURRED ON THE ENRIQUILLO - PLANTAIN GARDEN FAULT, A STRIKE SLIP FAULT ZONE THAT BEARS THE STRESS CAUSED BY THE CONVERGENCE OF THE CARIBBEAN AND NORTH AMERICAN TECTONIC PLATES IN THIS LOCATION.

THE BASIC FAULT MODELS Strike-Slip: SHEAR Reverse: COMPRESSION Normal: TENSION

THE ENRIQUILLO – PLANTAIN GARDEN FAULT

FAULT MAP: HAÏTI AND DOMINION REPUBLIC

GROUND SHAKING HAZARD MAP

TSUNAMI WARNING A tsunami warming was issued and later withdrawn.

THE PRESIDENT OF HAÏTI SURVIVED The President survived and took control of the emergency response.

SOCIETAL IMPACTS The lives of 3 million Haïtians were adversely impacted. The Dominion Republic, Haïti’s neighbor, which experienced a M8.0 earthquake and tsunami in 1946 on a thrust fault, escaped with minimal impact, but remains at high risk in future quakes.

PEOPLE SLEEPING ON THE STREET: JANUARY 12

EVACUATION OF INJURED

SURVIVORS SLEEPING IN TENTS: JANUARY 15

CATASTROPHIC DEATH TOLL FEARED The fear is that tens of thousands of casualties will be found during search and rescue operations and as the rubble of thousands of collapsed buildings is cleared.

DEATH TOLL MAY REACH TENS OF THOUSANDS

BUILDING DAMAGE Thousands of buildings (e.g., houses, schools, prisons, hospitals) were damaged or destroyed. After years of political instability in Haïti, no modern construction standards have been implemented.

INFRASTRUCTURE DAMAGE Power was knocked out. Communication was disrupted. Utility service was interrupted. Roads were damaged. The airport’s control tower was badly damaged. The seaport was damaged.

DAMAGED ROADS

TOUSSANT L’OUVERATURE AIRPORT: PORT AU PRINCE The airport’s communication tower was damaged in the earthquake. An operational runway was receiving military transports with supplies the next day. The airport’s “normal” day of 25 flights quickly became more than 50 flights.

TOUSSANT L’OUVERATURE AIRPORT

PORT DAMAGE Piers were broken. Cranes were overturned. Containers were toppled. Debris was everywhere.

PORT: TOPPLED CONTAINERS

BEFORE AND AFTER: PORT AU PRINCE

DAMAGE TO HOUSES ON HILLSIDE: PORT AU PRINCE

EXAMPLE OF DAMAGE TO HOMES: PORT AU PRINCE

EXAMPLE OF DAMAGE: PORT AU PRINCE

CLASSIC “X” CRACKS: PORT AU PRINCE

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

CLASSIC “PANCAKE” EFFECT: PRESIDENTIAL RESIDENCE

BEFORE THE QUAKE: THE NATIONAL CATHEDRAL

AFTER THE QUAKE: CATHEDRAL BADLY DAMAGED

OFFICES OF THE UNITED NATIONS The building housing United Nations personnel collapsed, killing the Head of the UN’s Peace Keeping Force, and possibly others. 100 UN workers are missing. The UN’s humanitarian assistance was slowed, but not stopped.

THE CARICOM SECRETARIAT The CARICOM Secretariat, survived with very little damage and became HQ for CARICOMs interventions.

THE US EMBASSY The US Embassy, which was constructed in accordance with a modern building code, survived with very little damage, while other buildings in the vicinity collapsed.

INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE Numerous nations (e.g., Cuba, China, Venezuela, Mexico, Taiwan, Spain, Italy, UK, France, Brazil US etc.) began to provide assistance in a variety of ways immediately.

INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE International NGO’s responded immediately (e.g., Catholic Relief Services, World Vision, International Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, The Salvation Army, etc.,).

INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE Roll Call as of 21 January, 2010 [AC]: Canada, USA, Mexico, Jamaica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Peru, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Bolivia Antigua, Grenada, St Kitts, Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, Saint Lucia (as part of the CARICOM Disaster Response Unit) America and the Caribbean

INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE Roll Call as of 21 January, 2010 [EU]: Austria, Belgium, France, Luxemburg, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, UK, Iceland, Portugal, Poland, Slovakia, Finland, Denmark, Ireland, Estonia, Norway, Slovenia, Malta, Hungary, Bulgaria, Russia Many are providing assistance to Haïti through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism including urban search and rescue (USAR) teams, health, shelter, water, hygiene and clothing. 36 USAR teams (12 deployed through European Civil Protection Mechanism) European Union

INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE Roll Call as of 21 January, 2010 [ASEAN+]: Israel, China, Taiwan, Australia, Korea Association of SouthEast Asian Nations

PRIORITY ONE IS SAVING HAÏTIAN LIVES Search and rescue, which started with the efforts of individual survivors, was augmented with international experts and heavy equipment. A major concern is how to care for the homeless and injured Haïtians and how and where to provide temporary housing for them.

SEARCH AND RESCUE IN A SCHOOL BY INDIVIDUALS: JAN 13

SEARCH AND RESCUE UNDERWAY: JAN 13

TIAWAN SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM: TO ASSIST

BRITISH SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM: TO ASSIST

ISRAELI TEAM: TO ASSIST

SPANISH SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM: TO ASSIST

US TEAMS [VIRGINIA and LA] TO ASSIST

TRAFFIC JAMS HINDER SEARCH AND RESCUE; JAN 14

SURVIVORS RECEIVING WATER: JAN 14

SURVIVORS FILLING WATER BOTTLES: JAN 15

INFECTUOUS DISEASES FEARED With the possibility of tens of thousands of deaths and the shortage and contamination of water, another fear is the onset of diseases such as malaria.

HAÏTI HAS EXPERIENCED MANY PAST DISASTERS

HAÏTI’S POVERTY EXACERBATED BY PAST DISASTERS Mudslides caused by Hurricane Gordon killed more than 1,000 people in 1994 Hurricane Georges killed more than 400 and destroyed most of the crops in 1998.

HAÏTI’S POVERTY EXACERBATED 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.

HAÏTI’S POVERTY EXACERBATED BY PAST DISASTERS Haïti was hit in 2008, by four severe windstorms: tropical storm Fay and hurricanes Hanna, Gustav, and Ike. Damage was estimated at $ 1 billion.

THE KEY IS: 1) KNOW THE DISASTER HISTORY OF YOUR REGION 2) KNOW YOUR COMMUNITY Lesson