2010 Haiti earthquake

2010 Haiti earthquake
The heavily damaged National Palace of Haiti after the earthquake
class=notpageimage|
Interactive map
UTC time2010-01-12 21:53:10
ISC event14226221
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local date12 January 2010
Local time16:53:10 EST
Duration30 seconds
Magnitude7.0 Mw
Depth13 km (8.1 mi)
Epicenter18°28′N 72°32′W / 18.46°N 72.53°W / 18.46; -72.53
FaultEnriquillo–Plantain Garden fault zone
Areas affectedHaiti, Dominican Republic
Total damage$7.8 billion – 8.5 billion[1]
Max. intensityMMI X (Extreme)[2]
Peak acceleration0.5 g[3]
TsunamiYes (localized)[4]
Casualties100,000 to 316,000 deaths[5] (the higher figure is from a government estimate widely charged with being deliberately inflated;[6] a figure of about 160,000 is provided in a 2010 University of Michigan study[7])
Part of a series on the
History of Haiti
Coat of Arms of Haiti
Pre-Columbian Haiti (before 1492)
Captaincy General of Santo Domingo (1492–1625)
Taíno genocide
Saint-Domingue (1625–1804)
First Empire of Haiti (1804–1806)
North Haiti (1806–1820)
South Haiti (1806–1820)
Republic of Haiti (1820–1849)
Second Empire of Haiti (1849–1859)
Republic of Haiti (1859–1957)
Duvalier dynasty (1957–1986)
Anti-Duvalier protest movement
Republic of Haiti (1986–present)
Timeline
Topics
flag Haiti portal

The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake that struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.[8][9] The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest department, approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital.

By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks measuring 4.5 or greater had been recorded.[10] An estimated three million people were affected by the quake.[11] Death toll estimates range from 100,000[5] to about 160,000[7] to Haitian government figures from 220,000[12][13] to 316,000,[5] although these latter figures are a matter of some dispute.[6] The government of Haiti estimated that 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged.[14] Haiti's history of national debt, prejudicial trade policies by other countries, and foreign intervention into national affairs contributed to the existing poverty and poor housing conditions that increased the death toll from the disaster.[15]

The earthquake caused major damage in Port-au-Prince, Jacmel and other cities in the region. Notable landmark buildings were significantly damaged or destroyed, including the Presidential Palace, the National Assembly building, the Port-au-Prince Cathedral, and the main jail. Among those killed were Archbishop of Port-au-Prince Joseph Serge Miot,[16] and opposition leader Micha Gaillard.[17][18] The headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), located in the capital, collapsed, killing many, including the Mission's Chief, Hédi Annabi.[19][20]

Many countries responded to appeals for humanitarian aid, pledging funds and dispatching rescue and medical teams, engineers and support personnel. The most-watched telethon in history aired on 22 January, called "Hope for Haiti Now", raising US$58 million by the next day.[21] Communication systems, air, land, and sea transport facilities, hospitals, and electrical networks had been damaged by the earthquake, which hampered rescue and aid efforts; confusion over who was in charge, air traffic congestion, and problems with prioritising flights further complicated early relief work. Port-au-Prince's morgues were overwhelmed with tens of thousands of bodies. These had to be buried in mass graves.[22]

As rescues tailed off, supplies, medical care and sanitation became priorities. Delays in aid distribution led to angry appeals from aid workers and survivors, and looting and sporadic violence were observed. On 22 January, the United Nations noted that the emergency phase of the relief operation was drawing to a close, and on the following day, the Haitian government officially called off the search for survivors.

  1. ^ Amadeo, Kimberly. "Haiti's 2010 Earthquake Caused Lasting Damage". The Balance. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  2. ^ H. Kit Miyamoto; Amir S. J. Gilani; Ken Wong (1 October 2011). "Massive Damage Assessment Program and Repair and Reconstruction Strategy in the Aftermath of the 2010 Haiti Earthquake". Earthquake Spectra. 27 (1): 219–237. Bibcode:2011EarSp..27..219M. doi:10.1193/1.3631293. S2CID 110899301.
  3. ^ Lin, Rong-Gong; Allen, Sam (26 February 2011). "New Zealand quake raises questions about L.A. buildings". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 3 March 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2011.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBCtsunami was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c "Earthquakes with 50,000 or More Deaths". Archived from the original on 5 June 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2012. U.S. Geological Survey, Earthquakes with 50,000 or More Deaths
  6. ^ a b [1] Archived 30 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine Columbia Journalism Review, "Two Years Later, Haitian Earthquake Death Toll in Dispute", 20 January 2012
  7. ^ a b Kolbe, Athena R.; Hutson, Royce A.; Shannon, Harry; Trzcinski, Eileen; Miles, Bart; Levitz, Naomi; Puccio, Marie; James, Leah; Roger Noel, Jean; Muggah, Robert (2010). "Mortality, crime and access to basic needs before and after the Haiti earthquake: a random survey of Port-au-Prince households". Medicine, Conflict and Survival. 26 (4): 281–297. doi:10.1080/13623699.2010.535279. PMID 21314081. S2CID 26000167.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference USGS_Haiti was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference abc1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference forbes24012010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference cbsnews1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Haiti quake death toll rises to 230,000". BBC. 10 February 2010. Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
  13. ^ "A Call to Action: Haiti at 6 months" Archived 11 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine, World Vision Australia (12 July 2010). Retrieved 13 January 2011
  14. ^ Renois, Clarens (5 February 2010). "Haitians angry over slow aid". The Age. Melbourne. Archived from the original on 7 February 2010. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  15. ^ Bell, Beverly (2013). Fault Lines: Views across Haiti's Divide. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. pp. 32–40. ISBN 978-0-8014-7769-0.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference apny201013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference yahoo1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference thaindian was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference unbriefing was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference bbc16012010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ McAlister, Elizabeth (2012). "Soundscapes of Disaster and Humanitarianism: Survival Singing, Relief Telethons, and the Haiti Earthquake". Small Axe: A Caribbean Journal of Criticism. 16 (3 39): 22–38. doi:10.1215/07990537-1894078. ISSN 0799-0537. S2CID 144995319. Archived from the original on 6 January 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  22. ^ Cite error: The named reference pressassoc21jan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).