Haití

Haití

Any idea what is an earthquake?

Earthquakes are Earth’s natural phenomena that many times cause great disasters in society. Depending on the magnitude, an earthquake can cause varyingdegrees of damage.

The Haitian earthquake had a great magnitude that caused the damages to be very great. Many houses and buildings collapsed and many people were killed. Even landmark buildings likethe ONU building were destroyed. The capital of Haiti was the most affected place by the earthquake. Moreover, due to several aftershocks of different magnitudes, more buildings collapsed and morepeople died. The highest aftershock had a magnitude of 7. If the magnitude of the earthquake had been lower, the damages would have been fewer.

Another reason why Haiti was so impacted was that thecitizens had no preparation for earthquakes. First of all, no contingency plan had been created. There was not an established quick help plan to include assistance such as housing for homeless, food anddrinks for the affected people and better medical care for the injured. Furthermore, the buildings' structures were not adapted to earthquakes. Most of the constructions were made of stone, lacked ofan essential material to strengthen them, and the ceilings had edges of concrete and a block in the middle. Many Haitians lost their houses or were squashed and killed because of that. If the countryhad been prepared for this kind of disaster, it would not have been as devastating.

The lack of medical care was another reason why Haiti was so impacted. The hospitals collapsed as a result ofthe earthquake. Since there was not a contingency plan, the country did not have any predetermined emergency meeting places and quick medical help. Because of that, the medical care did not arrive fast.Many injured people, who could still survive, died due to the lack of medical help. If every country in the world had predetermined medical emergency meeting sites, the local help would be faster....