The 2010 Haiti earthquake
A shallow magnitude 7.0 earthquake near Port-au-Prince, Haiti, killed at least 160,000 people and left 1.5 million homeless.
- Verified
- Haiti
- 12 January 2010
- Library
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Evidence
16 figures, each threaded to its source
Earthquake magnitude
7.0Mw
3 sources
“On 12 January 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti”
Depth of focus
13km
2 sources
“The estimated depth is 13 km, but the lack of local seismic data makes the precise depth uncertain.”
Deaths, lower range of estimates
160,000people (about)
2 sources
“Others estimate the death toll to be around 160,000–230,000”
Deaths, widely used estimate
220,000people (about)
3 sources
“About 220,000 people were reportedly killed”
Deaths, Haitian government estimate
316,000people (as many as)
2 sources
“The human cost was enormous—an estimated 316,000 people were killed, and a further 300,000 were injured.”
People made homeless
1.5million people
3 sources
“1.5 million became homeless during the 35-second-long tremor”
People injured
300,000people (about)
3 sources
“At the time, some 300,000 people were injured”
Cholera deaths by July 2011
5,899people
2 sources
“By July 2011 5,899 had died as a result of the outbreak, and 216,000 were infected”
Distance of the epicentre from Port-au-Prince
25km (south-west of the capital)
2 sources
“The epicenter of the quake was located at 18.44°N., 72.57°W. at a depth of 13 kilometers (km) approximately 25 km southwest of the capital, Port-au-Prince.”
Time the fault had been locked
250years
2 sources
“This fault has been locked for the last 250 years gradually accumulating stress which has now been released in a single large earthquake.”
Length of the shaking
35seconds
“1.5 million became homeless during the 35-second-long tremor”
Houses destroyed or badly damaged
293,383houses
“Over 188,383 houses were badly damaged and 105,000 were destroyed by the earthquake (293,383 in total)”
Rubble and debris left in Port-au-Prince
19million cubic metres
“After the quake there were 19 million cubic metres of rubble and debris in Port au Prince”
Cholera infections by July 2011
216,000people
“By July 2011 5,899 had died as a result of the outbreak, and 216,000 were infected”
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Background
On 12 January 2010, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck about 25 km south-west of Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. The focus was shallow, only about 13 km down, so the shaking at the surface was violent. Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas, and the earthquake hit a crowded city where most buildings were unreinforced concrete put up without building codes. Homes, schools, hospitals, the port and the presidential palace collapsed. The government lost its own buildings and staff, which made organising a response almost impossible. Nobody knows exactly how many people died. Estimates range from about 160,000 up to the Haitian government's figure of 316,000, and around 1.5 million people were left homeless in makeshift camps. Ten months later a cholera outbreak spread through those camps, adding thousands more deaths. The earthquake is used as the classic example of how poverty can turn a moderate hazard into a catastrophe, and recovery has taken more than a decade.
Causes
Movement at a conservative plate boundary
Haiti sits in the boundary zone where the Caribbean and North American plates slide past each other. The Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault system, which runs close to Port-au-Prince, had been locked for around 250 years while strain built up. On 12 January 2010 part of that strain was released in about 35 seconds of shaking.
A shallow focus close to the capital
The focus was only about 13 km deep and the epicentre lay roughly 25 km from Port-au-Prince, so the seismic energy had almost no distance in which to weaken. A magnitude 7.0 event is not exceptional worldwide, but this one delivered violent shaking directly into the capital and the crowded districts around it.
Poverty and unregulated building
Most homes and public buildings were heavy, unreinforced concrete structures built without enforced codes, often on slopes or soft ground. Rapid urban growth had packed poor families into dense informal districts. When the shaking came, buildings pancaked onto their occupants, which is why the death toll was so much higher than for similar earthquakes elsewhere.
A state with little capacity to cope
Haiti had a weak government, few emergency services and no effective disaster plan. The earthquake destroyed ministries, the port and hospitals, and killed officials and UN staff, so the organisations meant to lead the response were themselves victims. Damage to the port and airport then slowed the arrival of outside help.
Effects
Primary
- In total 293,383 houses were destroyed or badly damaged in and around Port-au-Prince.
- The port, the airport control tower, most hospitals and the presidential palace were wrecked.
- Streets were blocked by rubble, cutting off whole districts of the capital.
Secondary
- About 1.5 million people moved into makeshift camps with little clean water or sanitation.
- A cholera outbreak began in October 2010 and had killed 5,899 people by July 2011.
- Crime and looting rose in parts of the city after the police and prison system collapsed.
Social
- Estimates of deaths range from about 160,000 to the government figure of 316,000.
- About 300,000 people were injured while most hospitals were out of action.
- Around 4,000 schools were damaged or destroyed, interrupting education for years.
Economic
- Damage and losses came to more than Haiti's entire yearly economic output.
- Hundreds of thousands of jobs disappeared with the workplaces, port and markets.
- Recovery depended heavily on foreign aid, with the UK DEC appeal alone raising 107 million pounds.
Environmental
- About 19 million cubic metres of rubble and debris filled streets and open ground, taking years to clear.
- Camps and temporary settlements spread onto farmland and unstable hillsides.
- Landslides scarred slopes already stripped bare by deforestation.
Responses
Immediate
- Search and rescue teams flew in from around the world, though the damaged port and airport slowed them.
- The USA took control of the airport to manage the flow of aid flights.
- Field hospitals were set up and food, bottled water and tarpaulins were distributed.
- Emergency shelter was provided for around 1.5 million people in tented camps.
Long term
- Donors pledged billions of dollars for reconstruction, coordinated through an Interim Haiti Recovery Commission.
- Rubble clearing and rebuilding moved slowly, and years later many families were still living in camps.
- New settlements such as Canaan grew outside Port-au-Prince, often without proper services.
- Vaccination and clean water campaigns were launched to fight the cholera epidemic.
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