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2010 Haiti earthquake facts for kids

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2010 Haiti earthquake
Ruins of the Cathedral in the centre of Port au Prince.jpg
The heavily damaged National Palace after the earthquake.
UTC time 2010-01-12 21:53
ISC event 14226221
USGS-ANSS ComCat
Local date 12 January 2010
Local time 16:53:10 EST
Magnitude 7.0 Mw
Depth 13 km (8.1 mi)
Epicenter 18°28′N 72°32′W / 18.46°N 72.53°W / 18.46; -72.53
Areas affected Haiti, Dominican Republic
Max. intensity IX (Violent)
Peak acceleration 0.5 g
Tsunami Yes (localized)
Casualties 100,000 to 316,000 deaths (the higher figure is from a government estimate widely charged with being deliberately inflated; a figure of about 160,000 is provided in a 2010 University of Michigan study; the 100,000 figure is suggested by the U.S. Geological Survey.)

The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a very strong earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12, 2010. On the scientific scale that measures the magnitude (or strength) of an earthquake, the quake scored a magnitude of 7.0 Mw. The center of the earthquake was near Léogâne, very close to Port-au-Prince, the capital and largest city of Haiti. It was only about 25 kilometres (16 mi) west. The earthquake hit in the afternoon, at 16:53:10 local time (21:53:10 UTC). Haiti already was the poorest country in the western hemisphere, and was not able to take care of all the people that needed help.

Damage and death

About three million people were affected by the earthquake, many homes were destroyed. Three days after the earthquake, the Haitian Interior Minister said that up to 200,000 had died because of the quake and its effects. This was many more deaths than officials originally thought. At first, the Red Cross had guessed a much smaller death toll of 45,000–50,000.

The earthquake caused major damage to Port-au-Prince. Most major landmarks were badly damaged or destroyed. The Presidential Palace, the National Assembly building, the Port-au-Prince Cathedral, and the city's main jails were all destroyed. The president at the time, René Préval, survived.

Most hospitals in the area were destroyed, which made things much worse. The headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) in Port-au-Prince collapsed. The Mission's Chief (Hédi Annabi), his deputy, and the acting police commissioner were killed in the quake. Elisabeth Byrs of the United Nations (UN) called the earthquake the worst disaster the United Nations had ever had. This was not just because of the property damage and deaths from the earthquake. The roads, phone lines and government buildings of the UN in Haiti and the Haitian government were also destroyed, so trying to just get organized and get help to the people was a real problem. So many people died in such a short time, that they used dump trucks to haul the dead bodies to mass graves.

Images for kids

  • 2010 haiti shake map

    USGS intensity map

  • Gonâve microplate

    Map showing regional tectonic setting of the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone

  • 2010 Haiti Quake Aftershock Damage Satellite Image

    Tiny dots of white against the plant-covered landscape (red in this image) are possible landslides, a common occurrence in mountainous terrain after large earthquakes. The Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone runs along the two linear valleys at the top of the image

  • Haiti Earthquake building damage

    Damaged buildings in Port-au-Prince

  • Earthquake damage in Jacmel 2010-01-17 4

    Damaged buildings in Jacmel

  • Haitian national palace earthquake

    Large portions of the National Palace collapsed

  • Haiti earthquake damage overhead

    Léogâne, close to the earthquake epicenter

  • Haiti earthquake camp

    Assistance camp set up by the Brazilian Army.

  • Fairfax County Urban SAR scales Montana Hotel 2010-01-14

    Urban Search and Rescue specialists work at the Hôtel Montana

  • Haitians fill ferry in Port-au-Prince 2010-01-16

    The Haitian government began a programme to move homeless people out of Port-au-Prince on a ferry to Port Jeremie and in hired buses to temporary camps

  • AirdropcloseJan18haiti edited

    One of the first parachute air drops after the quake, 18 January

  • Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - IDF Coordination with American Doctor (1)

    Israeli and U.S. medical personnel coordinate relief efforts.

  • USN MH-53E lands supplies at Port-au-Prince 2010-01-16

    MINUSTAH troops meet a U.S. relief flight on 16 January

  • EscombrosBelAir5 Edit1

    UN forces took to patrolling the streets of Port-au-Prince

  • Pararescue in Haiti 2010

    A USAF pararescueman searching through demolished buildings in Port-au-Prince for survivors

  • Hospital ship usnscomfort Jan 20 haiti

    Helicopters transfer injured earthquake victims to hospital ship USNS Comfort off the coast of Haiti

  • Haitians pull out a body from the rubbles of a school (12 january 2010)

    While international efforts received significant media coverage, much of the local rescue effort was conducted by Haitians

  • LA County SAR pulls Haitian woman from earthquake debris 2010-01-17

    A woman is rescued alive from rubble several days after the initial quake

  • Usns comfort patient haiti jan22

    A Haitian child is treated aboard a hospital ship

  • Haiti relief landing jan22

    Landing ships move supplies onshore from the rescue fleet

  • Haitians in Port-de-Paix await distribution of relief supplies 2010-01-15

    Haitians await the opening of a supply depot, 16 January

  • PAPemergencyops

    Planes loaded with aid supplies crowd the tarmac at Port-au-Prince airport, waiting to be unloaded, 18 January

  • Haiti Cash-for-Work Programme

    The UN Development Programme employed hundreds of Haitians to clear roads and to make fuel pellets in a cash-for-work scheme

  • 2010년 중앙119구조단 아이티 지진 국제출동100119 몬타나호텔 수색활동 (454)

    South Korea's National Rescue Services team

  • FAA mobile control tower & equipment loaded onto Antonov An-124 at HST 2010-01-21 1

    A US mobile air traffic control tower is moved to Haiti by an Antonov An-124 Ruslan

  • Rubbles of the cathedral after the earthquake that hit the Capital Port au Prince just before 5 pm on 12 January 2010

    Remnants of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption after its collapse. In 2020, the building is still in ruins.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Terremoto de Haití de 2010 para niños

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