Haiti on EARTH Magazine

Voices: From Haiti to Japan: A tale of two disaster recoveries

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 15:22:23 -0500

A year ago this month, a devastating earthquake and tsunami struck northern Japan. Two years and two months earlier, on Jan. 12, 2010, a much smaller earthquake devastated Haiti. Both earthquakes occurred on a weekday and in the afternoon, but there is very little else that is similar about these two events or how the countries have recovered. Both offer reminders about the uncertainties of the effects of disasters.

Voices: Should science dictate whether to rebuild after a natural disaster?

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:51:09 -0500

Four days after a magnitude-7.0 earthquake caused severe damage on Jan. 12, 2010, Haitian citizens remain in the street afraid or unable to return to their homes. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Candice Villarreal

A Haitian man watches rubble being removed from a collapsed church in Baie De Grand Grove, Haiti. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Monique Hilley

Move Port-au-Prince? Maybe. San Francisco and New Orleans? Never.

It is common for scientists to call for the relocation of a city to a safer location after it is struck by an earthquake or hurricane. After all, when many cities were built, the nature of the hazard they faced was either unknown or very poorly understood. This is true whether we’re talking about San Francisco, Calif., New Orleans, La., or Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Now that we know the hazards, is it time to relocate a city in a dangerous locale? Port-au-Prince? Yes. San Francisco and New Orleans? No.

Blogging on EARTH: Previously unknown fault responsible for Haiti quake

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500

On Jan. 12, a magnitude-7.0 earthquake struck just 15 kilometers from Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, followed by a multitude of large and small aftershocks. The larger the circle, the larger the quake. Researchers now think the quake may have occurred on a different fault than they initially thought. NASA EARTH Observatory image by Jesse Allen

Meg Marquardt, pictured in Muir Woods in California, is an intern at EARTH. Meg Marquardt

When a magnitude-7.0 earthquake ripped through Haiti on Jan. 12, it was not entirely unexpected. Journal articles had been published warning that the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden Fault, which bisects Haiti, running east-west across the southern half of the country, was overdue for a large disruption. So when disaster struck, scientists swarmed Haiti searching for the epicenter along the famed fault.

Chile's quake larger but less destructive than Haiti's

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500

Cities where citizens reported shaking from the Chile earthquake that struck Feb. 27. Blue indicates weak shaking and red indicates strong shaking. Circle size correlates to city size. U.S. Geological Survey

A USGS ShakeMap of the earthquake in Chile. Blue indicates weak shaking and red indicates strong shaking. U.S. Geological Survey

On Feb. 27, at 3:34 a.m. local time, a magnitude-8.8 earthquake struck offshore Maule, Chile, 325 kilometers southwest of the capital, Santiago. The quake released 500 times more energy than the magnitude-7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti on Jan. 12, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) — yet the smaller quake produced more extensive damage: The Haitian quake killed more than 200,000 people and left more than 1.2 million people homeless, whereas the Chilean quake killed at least 711 people and displaced 2 million people, according to the New York Times.

Haiti devastated by major earthquake

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500

A magnitude-7.0 earthquake struck Haiti at 4:53 p.m. EST on Tuesday, causing widespread damage. The earthquake occurred approximately 15 kilometers southwest of the densely populated capital, Port-au-Prince. Early reports indicate severe devastation. The quake is the largest ever measured in Haiti and yet another of a series of disasters to afflict the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

Haitian quake no shock to geologists

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500

Although the magnitude-7.0 earthquake that shook Haiti on Jan. 12 was a horrible shock for millions of people in and around the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, the event came as no surprise to geologists. For years, scientists familiar with the geology of the region had been warning that the island of Hispaniola, which Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic, was overdue for a major quake.