Haiti Earthquake Research Paper

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The Haitian earthquake of 2010 will forever live in the minds of Haitians as a terrible tragedy. The Haitian people were unprepared for the sudden earthquake that shook their world. Taking place on January 12, 2010, the earthquake shattered Haiti. The poor or no infrastructure in even the most urban areas exacerbated the damage caused by the earthquake. Due to Haiti's location, a tragic earthquake was inevitable, but this one will forever live in memories as a terrible tragedy. The Haitian earthquake had devastating consequences for both Haiti and the world, due to a lack of infrastructure, their location on specific fault lines, and a UN-originated cholera outbreak after the earthquake. The earthquake had an effect that will likely last for decades on Haiti. …show more content…

Since Haiti is such a small country (10,714 mi², or a little larger than Massachusetts) with most people living in cities, almost everyone was affected by the earthquake. “...I heard a terrible explosion...the earth started shaking like a sheet of paper whipped by the wind…” (Laferrière, 2013, p.14-15). The author is explaining what the actual earthquake felt like. The epicenter of the earthquake was near Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, but it was felt as far away as Venezuela & Florida. “Felt in parts of The Bahamas, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands and as far as southern Florida, northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela,” (earthquake.usgs.gov 2011). While the earthquake and its aftershocks were felt in other places, there is no reported damage as a result of the earthquake in these places. This earthquake was catastrophic to both the people and environment of

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