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On 14th August 2021 a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Haiti in the Caribbean. The plate boundaries around Haiti are complex. The North American Plate lies to the north and the Caribbean Plate to the south. The earthquake took place at a conservative plate boundary, where the Caribbean plate moved eastwards. The focus was only 10 km deep, and the epicentre was 125 km from the capital Port-au-Prince.

Increased vulnerability – Physical Factors

• Landslides affected the area close to the epicentre, some of which were sizeable. This made it difficult to access some parts of the country.
• A 3 m high tsunami was recorded around the capital, Port-au-Prince.
• Tropical Storm Grace brought heavy rainfall, which hampered relief efforts and caused further problems with mudslides and flooding.
• Liquefaction occurred along many coastal areas and the seaport of Cayes. Liquefaction is when the vibrations from an earthquake cause the ground surface to lose strength and begin to flow like a liquid. More than 50,000 people were affected by liquefaction.

Impacts

Primary

• Social - More than 2,000 died, at least 12,000 were injured and 332 were still missing five days after the earthquake. The delivery of essential aid supplies were hampered by heavy rains from Tropical Storm Grace. Hospitals, schools and homes were destroyed.
• Economic – The estimated cost of damages from the earthquake is around US$1.6 billion. This amounts to 9.6 per cent of Haiti’s GDP.
• Environmental – Hundreds of landslides took place, which destroyed local ecosystems and habitats . Further damage was caused when heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Grace turned the landslides into mud, leading to widespread flooding.

Secondary

• 332 people were still missing five days after the earthquake.
• Hundreds of landslides took place, which destroyed local ecosystems and habitats.
• Heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Grace turned the landslides into mud and led to widespread flooding.
• A 3 m high tsunami was recorded around the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Responses

• The United Nations and charities, such as the Red Cross and CAFOD, sent aid. However, the delivery of essential supplies was hampered by heavy rains from Tropical Storm Grace.
• Temporary shelters were provided by the International Organization for Migration. These helped people who had lost their homes.
• The World Food Programme increased their provision of hot meals for school children. This helped to deal with food shortages.
• Temporary hospitals were constructed to help the injured. They also provided routine care, for example, some pregnant women gave birth safely within the temporary facilities.
• The estimated cost of damages from the earthquake is around US$1.6 billion. This amounts to 9.6 per cent of Haiti’s GDP