An earthquake measuring 7 plus on the Richter scale rocked
Port au Prince Haiti just before 5 pm January 12th, 2010.
Haiti earthquake, 2010
• On Tuesday January 12th 2010, a
catastrophic earthquake with a magnitude
of 7.0 struck Haiti
• The epicentre was approximately 16 miles
west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital.
• By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks
measuring 4.5 or greater had been
recorded. An estimated three million
people were affected by the earthquake
Describe the location of the Haiti earthquake of January 2010
(include facts about neighbouring countries, sea, capital city,
location of the epicentre, relevant plate margins)
Haiti is located to the west of.................. ................... in the
........................... Sea. The capital city is..............................................
The plate margins that surround Haiti are......................................
Cholera epidemic
– ‘rice water
disease’
Haiti – disease problems
After every major natural disaster, fears of further deaths through disease
are immediate. Having no access to clean water coupled with unsanitary
conditions – where human waste can mix with water people have no choice but
to drink – creates a fearsome breeding ground for disease. While there is a
vast array of possible health threats, top billing for potential outbreaks
amongst those hit by a disaster is almost exclusively reserved for cholera.
But just why is this disease so feared?
A tiny bacteria, cholera causes extreme diarrhoea and vomiting. Initial
symptoms are stomach pains, quickly evolving into diarrhoea that becomes
rapidly worse, eventually producing what is colloquially known as ‘rice water’ –
pale, watery faeces which literary pours out of the body. Patients can lose up
to 10 litres of fluid in a single day and, untreated, the dehydration brought on
by cholera can kill within 24 hours.
Passed on through dirty water, when bacteria from the faeces of a sufferer
finds its way into drinking water, or through food, if people don’t thoroughly
wash their hands after going to the toilet, the potential for the disease to
breakout and claim lives in the wake of a disaster is huge.
Primary and Secondary Impacts
• Primary impacts: Events that occur
immediately after and as a direct result of the
earthquake (e.g, buildings collapse, roads
crack, bridges collapse)
• Secondary impacts: Events that occur days or
weeks after the earthquake, and as a result of
the primary impacts (e.g, fires, explosions,
disease, homelessness)
Primary effects / Secondary effects / Short term responses / Long term responses
The large number of
The large number of
deaths meant that
$100 million in aid given by
bodies meant that
hospitals and morgues
the USA and $330 million by
diseases, especially
became full and bodies
the European Union
cholera, became a serious
then had to be piled up on
problem
the streets
98% of the rubble on
the roads hadn’t been
cleared restricting aid
access
316,000 people were
killed and 1 million people
were made homeless. 3
million people were
affected by the
earthquake
4.3 million people
provided with food
rations in the weeks
following the earthquake
250,000 homes and 30,000
other buildings, including
the President’s Palace and
810,000 people placed in
60% of government
aid camps
buildings, were either
destroyed or badly damaged
Lack of immediate aid
through poor planning,
management and access
meant that people had to try
and rescue each other
Temporary schools created
and new teachers trained
Hospitals (50+) and
schools (1,300+) were
badly damaged, as was
the airport’s control
tower
1 in 5 people lost their
jobs because so many
buildings were
destroyed. Haiti’s
largest industry,
clothing was one of the
worst affected
The main prison was
destroyed and 4,000
inmates escaped
It was difficult
getting aid into the
area because of issues
at the airport and
generally poor
management of the
situation
1 million people still
without houses after 1
year so still have to
live in aid camps
Support for people
without jobs, which
equates to nearly 70%
of the population,
through cash/foodfor-work projects
Question
• Using an example you have
studies, describe what impact an
earthquake can have on a country
(6)
Peer marking
• Level 1 (Basic) 1-3 marks
• They have mentioned some of the
impacts of the earthquake and have split
them into primary and secondary
• They have used a relevant case study but
have not gone into detail about how the
people were affected
• Level 2 (Clear) 4-6 marks
• They have used a relevant case study to
give a detailed account of the primary and
secondary effects of an earthquake
• They have also explained how the country
was affected socially, economically,
politically and environmentally
Tohoku Earthquake, Japan, 2011
Risks?
Why do it?
How are the effects felt differently in a
developed (richer) country?
$72 billion as a result of the
quake, up $25 billion from last
year
East Japan railway lost
$1.9 billion because of
track damage
Tohuku Electric Power
lost $1.5 billion
Biggest loss: Tokyo Electric
Power Company lost $13 billion
from efforts to stabilise the
nuclear facility at Fukoshima
Organise the statements into causes, effects and responses
Japan gets 30% of the
world’s earthquakes every
year, and there is 90mm of
movement of the Pacific
Plate under the Eurasian.
The tsunami waves reached
heights of up to 40 metres in
Miyako and travelled up to
10 km inland.
Residents within a 20 km
radius of the Fukushima
Plant were evacuated.
The earthquake happened
due to a build up of strain
energy as the Pacific plate
subducted under the
Eurasian plate. This strain
energy was released as
earthquake waves.
130,000 buildings totally
collapsed and another near
700,000 buildings partially
damaged.
The official death toll report
confirmed 15,854 deaths,
26,992 injured and 3,155
people missing.
A tsunami occurred as the
Eurasian plate was dragged
down and bounced back
upwards as strain energy
was released.
There was severe structural
damage in north-eastern
Japan, including heavy
damage to roads and
railways as well as fires in
many areas.
Japan is located at the
meeting point of 3 tectonic
plates, The Eurasian, Pacific
and Philippines.
Just 6 days after the quake
a motorway was repaired –
this shows the incredible
pace with which the
Japanese react to a
disaster.
There were several nuclear
incidents but the most
notable was 3 nuclear
meltdowns at the Fukushima
power plant.
Over 340,000 displaced
people in the region
needed catering for, and
issues included shortages of
food, water, shelter,
medicine and fuel for
survivors.
The economic losses are
huge, estimated at
US$235 billion, making it the
most expensive natural
disaster in world history.
Villages are already partially
rebuilt, only a few years
after the disaster.
Japan is found on a
DESTRUCTIVE plate
boundary.
Many people got outside
during the earthquake. This
was partly due to people
receiving text message
alerts of the earthquake.
Many people did not react
quickly enough to the
tsunami alert, and even if
they did the 20 minutes or
less warning was not
enough for the people to
escape.
There was a magnitude 7.2
earthquake on the 9th of
March, 2 days before the
8.9-9.0 magnitude
earthquake of the 11th
A new sea wall has been
rebuilt in the town of
Ishinomaki at a height of
9m.
Around 4.4 million
households in north-eastern
Japan were left without
electricity and 1.5 million
without water.
Contrast the effects of
earthquakes in two contrasting
countries. (6 marks)
L1 (1-4 marks) – some effect in short statements for 2 marks, with some case study
reference for 4 marks.
People were killed, buildings were destroyed and water was contaminated. An
example is in Japan, where 15,000 people drowned in a tsunami (a secondary
effect), whereas in Haiti, many more people died.
L2 (5-6 marks) – sentences well constructed that show clear differences between
2 earthquakes. Clear reference to case studies.
In Japan 2011, 15,000 people were killed, and 27,000 people were injured as
buildings were destroyed and a tsunami reached 10km inland. In Haiti, the
effects were much worse, with 300,000 people dying as buildings were not as
well constructed. As Japan is a developed country, people were more
prepared and they have a good infrastructure such as well-equipped hospitals
and transport networks. As a result, the death toll was lower.