The Haiti Earthquake

The Earthquake in Haiti occurred on January 12th,2010 and was a huge shock to many people. The earthquake was a huge natural disaster that had a magnitude of 7.0mw. The earthquake affected roughly 3 million people and killed 319,000 people.

Economic Effects: 

• Haiti has always been known as a pretty poor country throughout the years and the result of the earthquake made things even worse. 
• $7.8 billion in damage
• Tropical storms in the past crippled their economy but the earthquake of 2010 destroyed their economy completely. 
• Airport was destroyed therefore making it nearly impossible for people to travel in and out of Haiti 
• Economic output shrank 5.1% 

Local Business: 

• The airport and the ports were destroyed therefore they could not export any goods. 
• One of the biggest businesses they had was clothing and shipping their products to other countries. They could not do this for a long time after the earthquake because of the damages.
• In 2009 they were the 17th largest apparel supplier exporting to the USA. 
• Exports were a huge part of the local business reaching $424 million, and clothing making up 90% of the countries exports.
• Very high unemployment rates and almost everyone in poverty.

Infrastructure:

• Airport was completely destroyed. 
• Multiple parts of Haiti destroyed including the capital Port-Au-Prince.
• 60% of government buildings were completely destroyed.
• 80% of schools in the capital were destroyed.
• Estimated 30,000 buildings collapsed. 

Scarcity of Resources:

• Deforestation- most people are farmers
• food,water,shelter,clothing

Effects Beyond Local Disaster:

• The earthquake affected countries that they export things to because they would not longer be able to until they rebuild their area. 
• Hurt the economy drastically even after the disaster. 

Haiti Today: 

• Pretty much back to normal
• Buildings and houses were rebuilt
• Still a very poor country. 
• High unemployment levels

Sources:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/haiti/11340167/Five-years-on-from-Haitis-earthquake-its-people-are-still-suffering.html

https://www.mercycorps.org/articles/haiti/5-years-after-quake-journey-relief-recovery

https://www.thebalance.com/haiti-earthquake-facts-damage-effects-on-economy-3305660