The Tragedy of the Haiti Earthquake by emil0690

The Tragedy of the Haiti Earthquake by emil0690 https://padlet.com/emil0690/7ewy8pd5h64x en-us 2017-12-05 16:16:59 UTC 2025-11-11 02:25:05 UTC hello@padlet.com emil0690 https://padlet.com/emil0690/7ewy8pd5h64x/wish/213369248 On January 12, 2010, the southwestern portion of Haiti was devastated by an earthquake of magnitude 7.0, which lasted about 35 seconds, followed by two aftershocks of magnitudes 5.9 and 5.0, respectively. The earthquake destroyed lives, infrastructure and the Haitian economy.]]> 2017-12-05 16:18:26 UTC https://padlet.com/emil0690/7ewy8pd5h64x/wish/213369248 Lives Lost emil0690 https://padlet.com/emil0690/7ewy8pd5h64x/wish/213369806 According to the Haitian government, over 300,000 Haitian lives were lost as a direct result of the Earthquake. This astoundingly high death toll is difficult to comprehend, but to put it into perspective, that is nearly four times the number of people killed by the Hiroshima atomic bomb. ]]> 2017-12-05 16:19:21 UTC https://padlet.com/emil0690/7ewy8pd5h64x/wish/213369806 Homes Lost emil0690 https://padlet.com/emil0690/7ewy8pd5h64x/wish/213372544 Over one million people lost their homes in the Haitian Earthquake, creating a housing crisis of unimaginable proportions. ]]> 2017-12-05 16:23:36 UTC https://padlet.com/emil0690/7ewy8pd5h64x/wish/213372544 A Nation Left in Rubble emil0690 https://padlet.com/emil0690/7ewy8pd5h64x/wish/213553288 Due to the lack of building codes in Haiti, most buildings did not have the strength to withstand the 7.0 magnitude earthquake. Many deaths were a result of collapsed buildings trapping or crushing citizens. Penitentiaries were severely damaged, causing criminals to escape and roam the streets freely. Hospitals were rendered unusable, causing prolonged wait times for medical treatment, and many people were simply unable to find adequate medical treatment. Electrical systems, food farms, and transportation routes were all severely damaged by the earthquake. Overall, the damage from the earthquake costed an estimated 14 BILLION DOLLARS, enough to cripple the Haitian economy.]]> 2017-12-06 01:23:38 UTC https://padlet.com/emil0690/7ewy8pd5h64x/wish/213553288 Wreckage of the Earthquake emil0690 https://padlet.com/emil0690/7ewy8pd5h64x/wish/213554485 Graphic footage of people trapped, injured and panicking in the moments after the earthquake. Viewer discretion is advised]]> 2017-12-06 01:34:07 UTC https://padlet.com/emil0690/7ewy8pd5h64x/wish/213554485 Where Was It? emil0690 https://padlet.com/emil0690/7ewy8pd5h64x/wish/213746875 The epicenter of the earthquake was located approximately 15 km southwest of Port-Au-Prince. The epicenter is indicated by the red target on the map.]]> 2017-12-06 15:32:51 UTC https://padlet.com/emil0690/7ewy8pd5h64x/wish/213746875 What Caused it? emil0690 https://padlet.com/emil0690/7ewy8pd5h64x/wish/213751090 The Haitian earthquake was originally thought to be caused by a release of energy from the Enriquillo-Plaintain Garden fault system. This was later disproven. Scientists have since contested that the earthquake was caused by a contractional deformation along the Leograme fault, at a depth of approximately 13 km. The shallowness of the fault slip may have contributed to the high magnitude of the quake.]]> 2017-12-06 15:39:58 UTC https://padlet.com/emil0690/7ewy8pd5h64x/wish/213751090 Government Response emil0690 https://padlet.com/emil0690/7ewy8pd5h64x/wish/213762260 Many people believe that the Haitian government did not provide enough resources and aid to the suffering population. Most aid came from international organizations and individual citizens, and Haitians noted a severe lack of support from their government. The Haitian president, Rene Preval, worked with the US and the UN to strike up aid deals, but little was truly done by the government in response to the crisis.]]> 2017-12-06 15:59:28 UTC https://padlet.com/emil0690/7ewy8pd5h64x/wish/213762260 Foreign Aid in the Wake of the Quake emil0690 https://padlet.com/emil0690/7ewy8pd5h64x/wish/213765304 In the days following the earthquake, the international community sprung into action. The United States government dedicated 4 billion dollars to aiding Haiti after the earthquake, and the United Nations estimates that 13 billion dollars total flowed through aid to Haiti following the earthquake. Despite the copious amounts of money and resources sent to Haiti, the country has remained in disarray. This begs the critical question of what went wrong? A major reason for the lack of success of aid endeavors was the fact that the money did not flow through the Haitian government. It was generally given through subcontractors whose use of the money was sometimes questionable. When aid is not given through government, the government loses a sense of authority, as the country's primary income source is no longer monitored by the government. This opens the doors to corruption within the aid industry, since there is no authority that oversees all monetary transactions. In addition, the country became dependent upon aid for its survival, instead of becoming developed through aid. As aid continued to pour in years after the earthquake, it made the fundamental shift from disaster relief aid to long term humanitarian aid. The issue with long term humanitarian aid is the economic distortion it yields. For example, when the US sent an import of free solar panels to help with energy production, it nearly put Haiti's solar energy production plant, ENERSA, out of business. When regional markets are flooded with free resources donated by the international community, local business is dissuaded, and the regional economy is severely distorted. In the case of the Haitian earthquake, as time progressed and aid transitioned from emergency relief to long term humanitarian aid, the Haitian economy fell apart, and the aid began to do more harm than good.]]> 2017-12-06 16:05:13 UTC https://padlet.com/emil0690/7ewy8pd5h64x/wish/213765304 Technologies to Prevent Future Destruction emil0690 https://padlet.com/emil0690/7ewy8pd5h64x/wish/213956857 While one would be hard pressed to find ways to prevent earthquakes, since they are a result of energy being released by tectonic boundaries, there are ways to minimize the effects of the earthquakes. As mentioned before, a major reason for the colossal destruction of the Haiti earthquake was the weak infrastructure of the buildings in the region. To prevent more destruction, devices that reduce structural vibrations such as dampers and isolation systems may be installed during the construction of buildings. Unfortunately, these systems are often costly, making them unsuited for developing nations such as Haiti. Recently, the University of Brighton developed a cheaper and more efficient device fit for nations such as Haiti. The device is called a Vibrating Barrier, and is installed in soil, and protects nearby structures from excess damage caused by vibrations. The Vibrating Barrier absorbs 40-80% of the dynamic energy from the earth during earthquakes, helping to reduce the energy transferred to nearby buildings. This technology is revolutionary in the field of seismic science, and may save countless lives- and buildings.]]> 2017-12-07 01:12:35 UTC https://padlet.com/emil0690/7ewy8pd5h64x/wish/213956857 References emil0690 https://padlet.com/emil0690/7ewy8pd5h64x/wish/213959923 Haiti earthquake damage estimated up to $14 billion. (2010, February 17). Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/16/AR2010021605745.html

Haiti earthquake: Angry crowds bemoan lack of government response. (2010, January 17). Retrieved from https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2010/0117/Haiti-earthquake-Angry-crowds-bemoan-lack-of-government-response

Here are the real lessons from flawed responses to Haiti's disasters. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-01-12/here-are-real-lessons-flawed-responses-haitis-disasters

Pallardy, R. (2017, June 28). Haiti earthquake of 2010. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/event/Haiti-earthquake-of-2010

Pierfrancesco Cacciola Assistant head, School of Environment and Technology, University of Brighton. (2017, December 06). Our new anti-earthquake technology could protect cities from destruction. Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/our-new-anti-earthquake-technology-could-protect-cities-from-destruction-44028

Staff, L. S. (2010, January 13). The Devastating Haiti Earthquake: Questions and Answers. Retrieved from https://www.livescience.com/9797-devastating-haiti-earthquake-questions-answers.html

]]> 2017-12-07 01:34:53 UTC https://padlet.com/emil0690/7ewy8pd5h64x/wish/213959923