It was January 12, 2010, when a 7.0 magnitude rocked Haiti where the epicenter was only 16 mi (25 km) west of Port-au-Prince which is the capital of the island nation.The Haiti earthquake of 2010 is considered to be one of the biggest in the world and certainly the biggest in the country which left around 220,000-316,000 people dead and around 300,000 people injured. The entire island was devasted when the earthquake struck as the country lacked the infrastructure to withstand such a powerful disaster.In the wake of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, around 1.5 million people were displaced and were seen in tent camps near Port-au-Prince and the adjacent areas. They needed everything from food, water, and essentials. It was 04:53 p.m. local time on January 12, 2010, when the earthquake struck near the town of Leogane in the Ouest department. This is around 16 mi (25 km) away from Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. From January 12 to January 24, around 52 aftershocks were recorded which measured 4.5 or higher on the Richter scale. By then around three million people were affected by the Haiti earthquake. The Haitian government estimated the death toll to have risen up to 316,000, however, many people disputed this claim. The Haitian government estimated that around 30,000 commercial buildings and 250,000 residences collapsed or were severely damaged. Poverty was increased as the country already had a history of national debt, foreign intervention in affairs of the nation, and trade policies by other countries. Due to these reasons, and because of poor housing conditions the death toll of the Haiti earthquake increased.Many cities in the region like Port-au-Prince, and Jacmel underwent heavy damage, and buildings like the National Assembly Building, the Presidential Palace, the main jail, and Port-au-Prince’s municipal government buildings were damaged. Joseph Serge Miot, the Archbishop of Port-au-Prince, and Micha Gaillard, the opposition leader were notable people who died in one of the biggest natural disasters in the nation. Hedi Annabi, the chief of the Mission at the headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) died along with many others when the building in Port-au-Prince collapsed. After the Haiti earthquake of 2010, many countries came forward with humanitarian aid and provided help by pledging funds, sending medical assistance, rescue teams, support personnel, and engineers. Rescue efforts and help stalled as the communication systems, air, sea, land transport, electrical networks, and hospitals were damaged. Bodies were buried in mass graves as the morgues in Port-au-Prince were overwhelmed with thousands of bodies. Due to the stalling of rescue operations, destruction and looting from angry mobs started. On January 22, 2010, the UN decided that the emergency situation was coming to a close, and on the next day, the search for survivors was called off by the Haitian government.Haiti Earthquakes And Recovery TimelineThere have been many devastating earthquakes in the island nation of Haiti and here we will learn about a few devastating ones since 2010.On January 12, 2010, at 04:53 p.m., an earthquake struck of magnitude 7.0 on the island of Hispaniola near Leogane. The city is about 15 mi (25 km) west of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. Aftershocks were felt for a few more days until January 20. The largest aftershock was 5.9 on January 20 which again destroyed many buildings in the region. In October of 2010, a cholera outbreak started and spread very quickly.In 2011, UNICEF reported that about one million Haitians were still living in temporary shelters. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Isaac caused more damage to the island and a lot of flooding. Around 400,000 people were still living in makeshift camps. By 2013, more than 8,000 people died from cholera and people were really living in a hunger crisis.El Nino came between 2015 and 2016 and more than one million people were affected by drought. In October of 2016, Hurricane Matthew, a category four hurricane inflicted heavy damage to the country. By 2018, some progress was made, but issues that were seen during the devastating earthquake of 2010 were still present including weak political governance, loose infrastructure, and no accessibility to basic amenities. In March of 2019, opposition parties shut down the government and asked for the resignation of President Moise. There were anti-government protests and by fall, schools and businesses were shut.President Moise was assassinated on July 7, 2021, and there was political turmoil in Haiti. August 14, 2021, saw an earthquake of 7.2 magnitude hit Haiti where 2,200 people died and around 12,200 people were injured. Hundreds of people were still missing. The epicenter of this earthquake was around 78 mi (125 km) west of the capital city of Port-au-Prince.After the earthquake, from 2010 to 2012, organizations and governments from the international community donated over $6 billion for the reconstruction of Haiti. Aid organizations have managed to rebuild many houses and temporary shelters in the country. American Red Cross has given around 390,000 people clean water. Red Cross has also managed to provide 2.4 million people with health, education, and hygiene.Haiti Before The 2010 EarthquakeLong before the big 2010 Haiti earthquake struck the capital Port-au-Prince, the country was already in ruins.Haiti is deemed to be one of the poorest nations in the Western Hemisphere. In the 2010 UN Human Development Index, it was found that Haiti ranked 145 out of 169. Before the earthquake, less than 10% of the population of the country had access to tap water, while less than 33% had access to electricity. More than three-quarters of people lived on less than $2 a day while half of the Haitian families lived on less than $1 a day. The agriculture sector of the country was on the decline long before the significant damage by the earthquake. The economic system of the country was also quite poor. Only 3% of the land in Haiti was covered by trees. All other areas affected were barren land. Haiti was waiting for a natural disaster to happen with all the issues with the environment. The country was unprepared for the earthquake that left around 3.5 million affected. Before the earthquake, the seismic network was nil, there was only one seismic hazard map and that was outdated. Even building codes were outdated and rarely even used. Earthquake preparedness was not seen and there were no contingency plans for the aftermath of an earthquake. Haiti suffered catastrophic loss once the earthquake hit in 2010.Impact Of The January 12, 2010 EarthquakeOn January 12, 2010, the Haiti earthquake struck the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince killing and injuring a lot of people.A 7.0 magnitude quake hit one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere in January 2010. The immediate aftermath of the quake in Haiti affected 3,50,0000 people and around 220,000-316,000 died. More than 300,000 people were injured. More than 188,383 houses were badly damaged and 105,000 houses were destroyed completely by the quake. About 1.5 million people went homeless. Port-au-Prince itself had a whopping 67 million cu ft (19 million cu m) of rubble and debris, and about 4,000 schools were damaged or destroyed. 80% of schools in the capital, 60% of government and administrative buildings in all the affected regions, and 60% of schools in the West and South Departments were damaged or destroyed. 1.5 million people were living in emergency shelter areas with a lack of food supplies. The initial quake itself was the most devastating one. The country in the Caribbean Sea saw more devastation in the same year due to a cholera outbreak. Families lost family members and houses in the affected areas and there was no medical care as aid couldn’t arrive in time due to the destruction of all routes. The epidemic reached the tent cities of the capital in November and wreaked havoc on people’s lives.Rescue And Relief EffortsThe international community joined hands to help Haiti back on its feet. Immediately after the quake, Haitian citizens and survivors helped many injured and dead from the rubble of the collapsed buildings.The lack of hospitals and morgues delayed the treatment. Two days after the earthquake, aid came in the form of search and rescue teams, emergency aid, police, doctors, military, and firefighters. The International Committee of the Red Cross brought emergency aid to the victims. The committee was in the country since 1994 and worked closely with partner organizations like the Haitian Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and the Red Crescent Societies. The American Red Cross helped raised money too. Many countries joined in to help the victims and the country started building again.International AidMany countries helped in the search and rescue of victims and the dead in Haiti.Makeshift camps were made with the rainy season just around the corner. International donors raised around $6.43 billion for the reconstruction of Haiti while USAID gave $450 million to make Haiti stand up. World Vision International distributed emergency supplies to the peop. Additionally, more than 28,000 families were supported with essential ShelterBox aid.
It was January 12, 2010, when a 7.0 magnitude rocked Haiti where the epicenter was only 16 mi (25 km) west of Port-au-Prince which is the capital of the island nation.
