The 2010 Haiti Earthquake: A Devastating Disaster
Introduction
The earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010, was a catastrophic event that caused widespread destruction and loss of life. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck at 4:53:09 PM local time, with its epicenter located 15 km from Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake originated at a depth of 10 km.
A series of aftershocks followed the main earthquake, the strongest measuring 5.9, 5.5, and 5.1 degrees. While NOAA dismissed the danger of a tsunami, the earthquake was the most powerful recorded in the region since 1770. The tremors were felt in neighboring countries, including Cuba, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic, causing fear and prompting precautionary evacuations.
The impact on Haiti, the poorest country in Latin America, was devastating. By January 25th, over 150,000 bodies had been recovered, and it was estimated that the death toll could reach 200,000. The earthquake also left more than 250,000 injured and an estimated one million people homeless. This event is considered one of the most significant humanitarian disasters in history.
Immediate Consequences
In the first nine hours after the main earthquake, 26 aftershocks greater than 4.2 magnitude occurred across the Tiburon Peninsula, with twelve exceeding 5.0 magnitude.
On Wednesday, January 20th, a strong aftershock initially reported as 6.1 but later corrected to 5.0 struck 60 kilometers west of Port-au-Prince. The aftershock was felt in the Haitian capital, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The earthquake caused the collapse of the Twitter microblogging network.
The earthquake occurred near the northern edge of the Caribbean tectonic plate, which moves eastward at a rate of 20 mm per year relative to the North American plate. This movement creates a fault system similar to the San Andreas Fault in California. In Haiti, this fault system has two branches: the Septentrional Fault in the north and the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden Fault in the south. Seismic data suggests that the earthquake originated along the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden Fault, which had been accumulating stress for 240 years. The release of this pent-up energy was equivalent to the explosion of 200,000 kilograms of TNT.
The U.S. Geological Survey estimated that approximately three million people were affected by the earthquake, based on its magnitude and location. However, determining the exact number of people impacted proved challenging due to the extensive damage.
While the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially issued a tsunami warning for Haiti, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic, it was canceled shortly after. However, the Cuban government ordered the evacuation of all coastal populations, particularly the eastern town of Baracoa.
The earthquake has been described as the largest to hit Haiti in over two centuries. One of its immediate consequences was the collapse of all telephone lines. As a result, people turned to the internet, utilizing social networks like Twitter and Facebook, video platforms like YouTube, email, and online radio and television broadcasts for communication. Social networks, in particular, played a crucial role in gathering and disseminating information and images of the event.
Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, is characterized by widespread poverty, with approximately 80% of its population living below the poverty line (54% in extreme poverty). The country relies heavily on a subsistence economy and remittances from migrants, which account for 40% of its GDP and support over 900,000 families. Ranked 149th out of 182 countries on the Human Development Index, Haiti’s hospitals and basic healthcare services were ill-equipped to handle a disaster of this magnitude.
Deaths
Haitian Prime Minister Jean Max Bellerive expressed concern that the death toll from the earthquake could exceed 140,000. The Red Cross estimated the number of casualties to be between 45,000 and 50,000, but an accurate count remained elusive due to the widespread debris obstructing streets and avenues in Port-au-Prince.
Among the destroyed buildings was the UN headquarters in Haiti. While bodies were recovered from the rubble, approximately 150 UN personnel were reported missing. UN officials stated that fewer than ten individuals,”some dead, some alive” had been extracted from the remains of the five-story building. By January 14th, at least twenty members of the United Nations had lost their lives.
Haiti’s ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), Duly Brutus, reported”tens of thousands of victim” and appealed for international assistance, stating,”Never has our country needed the help of the international community more than now” The OAS Permanent Council prioritized the situation in Haiti to determine how best to provide aid.
On Sunday, January 24, 2010, the Haitian government announced that 150,000 bodies had been recovered and buried in Port-au-Prince and its surrounding areas. However, the number of individuals still trapped beneath the rubble remained unknown.
Notable figures who lost their lives in the earthquake include Jimmy O. Barik, a hip-hop artist and musical partner of Haitian singer Wyclef Jean, and Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot, the Archbishop of Port-au-Prince.
Damage
The earthquake caused widespread destruction, leveling countless houses and even sturdy government buildings like the National Palace. A hospital in Petionville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, collapsed, as did the Cathedral of Port-au-Prince. The UN Stabilization Mission headquarters in Port-au-Prince sustained severe damage, along with other UN facilities.
Gen. Mario Montoya, Colombia’s ambassador to the Dominican Republic, who was in Haiti during the earthquake, described the situation as”very serious… no water, no light..”. News sources, including Colombian news channel CM&, reported that the earthquake could be one of the strongest and most devastating natural disasters in over two centuries.
Renzo Fricke, a coordinator for Doctors Without Borders, told the BBC,”We have treated hundreds of injured patients. Most have traumas, fractures, and burns. None of the hospitals are working; many have collapsed. There is no staff or medicine”
Fernando Wanca, reporting from Santo Domingo, wrote to BBC News,”In Haiti, the situation is very difficult and confusing. Haitian friends living here have not been able to communicate with their families; no calls are going through. Those who managed to contact someone speak of many wounded and hospitals that were destroyed. Mobile hospitals are urgently needed”
Reports from the Haitian town of Jacmel indicated significant damage there as well. Guido Cornale, a UNICEF representative in Jacmel, told the BBC that at least 20% of buildings in the town of 50,000 inhabitants had been destroyed. He added that 5,000 people had gathered at the airport seeking refuge.
The Haitian ambassador to the Organization of American States told AFP news agency that”there are tens of thousands of casualties and considerable damage”
Haiti’s First Lady, Elisabeth Preval, told the Miami Herald,”It’s a catastrophe. I am stepping over dead bodies. There are many people buried under buildings. The general hospital has collapsed. We need help. We need support. We need engineers”
Characteristics of the Area
Numerous reports highlighted the extensive damage to not only homes but also public buildings, including hospitals, schools, police stations, government offices, churches, prisons, and even mortuaries. The earthquake also severely impacted qualified personnel, such as firefighters, and crippled communication infrastructure. The main spring that supplied water to the country was rendered inoperable.
By Thursday, January 14th, the damaged airport in Port-au-Prince, its control tower reduced to rubble, could no longer accommodate incoming flights due to overwhelming demand and fuel shortages.
Radio Metropole provided an update on the communication lines on Thursday, January 14th, at 8:52 AM local time: Internet access (Hainet) was down, there was no information on the ACN network, the international submarine fiber optic cable remained operational, mobile operator Digicel reported that its network in Haiti had partially resumed service, and HAITEL and Teleco landlines were functional when not overloaded. However, widespread cuts to telephone cables across the country made communication unreliable. Most satellite-based internet connections were operational.
The lack of functional infrastructure hindered coordinated relief efforts, such as debris removal, body recovery, and medical care. A Red Cross worker reported a shortage of body bags, forcing people to leave bodies in the streets.
Channel 4 reported that the scarcity of drinking water and fuel had rendered money practically useless in Haiti, with water and gas becoming makeshift mediums of exchange.
Concerns grew that the country could descend into chaos, particularly as aid distribution began. A panel of experts concluded,”The UN and aid organizations now face one of the most difficult and potentially dangerous relief efforts”
The United Nations expressed concerns about maintaining order and security in Haiti, fearing that the victims’ desperation could lead to riots if aid did not arrive promptly.
Five days after the earthquake, on Saturday, January 16, 2010, the United Nations in Geneva declared the Haiti earthquake”the worst disaster that has confronted the organization in terms of logistics, due to the complete collapse of local government and infrastructure”