Haiti earthquake case study

Question 1

What year did the Haiti earthquake occur?

Answer 1

2010

Question 2

What was the magnitude of the Haiti earthquake?

Answer 2

7.0

Question 3

How far away from the capital was the epicentre of the Haiti earthquake?

Answer 3

25km

Question 4

How many people were affected by the Haiti earthquake?

Answer 4

3 million

Question 5

How many lives were lost due to the Haiti earthquake?

Answer 5

Approximately 300,000

Question 6

How many homes were destroyed due to the Haiti earthquake?

Answer 6

250,000

Question 7

Why was Haiti unprepared for the earthquake?

Answer 7

• Poor socioeconomic status
• No national warning systems in place
• Suffered decades of conflict, poor governance and crippling poverty

Question 8

Primary effects of the Haiti earthquake

Answer 8

• Approx. 300000 people were killed
• 1 million people were left homeless
  Transport and communication links were badly damaged
• Hospitals and schools were badly damaged, as was the airport’s control tower

Question 9

Secondary effects of the Haiti earthquake

Answer 9

• 1 in 5 people lost their jobs because so many buildings were destroyed
• The large number of deaths meant that hospitals and morgues quickly became full up
• Disease spread quickly
• People were squashed into shanty towns or onto streets, leading to poor sanitation and health, and looting