CTK Geography GCSE
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Earthquake Case Studies
LIC: Haiti, January 2010
Background
The earthquake was a 7.0 on the Richter scale and 10 on the Mercalli scale.
Haiti is a Caribbean island
The earthquake occurred on a conservative plate boundary involving the Caribbean plate and the Gonave platelet
Primary Impacts:
316,000 deaths
300,000 injured
Rubble blocked roads and rail lines.
8 hospitals were destroyed.
100,000 homes destroyed
Secondary Impacts:
Looting (stealing) and violence over food and water
30,000 businesses were destroyed including many factories.
$10billion of damage
Mass graves had to be dug as the morgues (where you put bodies before burial) could not cope.
1.5million homeless
Damaged water supplies caused increased risk of disease leading to a cholera outbreak 10 months later.
Responses:
Oxfam sent a 100 strong team, including 15 emergency specialists.
Aid agencies provide clean water, shelter and basic sanitation, as well as helping community canteens provide daily hot meals.
Creation of camps for the homeless
Home
Paper 1
Natural Hazards
>
Tectonic Hazards
>
Case Studies
Living World
UK Physical Landscape
Paper 2
Urban Issues and Challenges
The Changing Economic World
The Challenge of Resource Management