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To what
extent did humans contribute to the scale of the 2010 Haitian earthquake
disaster?
The
Haitian earthquake disaster in 2010 was among the devastating natural disaster
in the last decade. The number of deaths experienced was approximately 230,000,
injuries were about 300,000, while about 1.5 million were homeless, and created
between $7.8 and $8.5 billion in damage (Armadeo n. pag, para. 1). While the
earthquake was a natural disaster, human action had a role to play in the scale
of the devastation prior to the occurrence, in terms of environmental
degradation and weak infrastructure in the country.
Among the challenge, facing Haiti at the
time of the earthquake was widespread deforestation. Than reporting for the
National Geographic noted that Haitians routinely cut down trees for fuel, an
aspect attributed to poverty. The following image shows the level of
deforestation in Haiti compared to its neighboring Dominican Republic.
The implication of lost forest cover is
that the nation looses on natural buffers against wind and rain, and thus earthquakes
will likely cause greater shifting of soil. The trees and roots keep the
granular soil from shifting (Than n. pag., para. 3). Deforestation created the
possibility of housed collapsing and sliding downhill in the hilly regions
following the earthquake.
Weak infrastructure in Haiti revolves
around two aspects, namely poor buildings, and ineffective communication and
transportation network. Both aspects had a role to play in the devastation seen
following the earthquake.
Haiti is an impoverished nation with a
weak infrastructure attributed to poor building construction, lac of government
enforcement of building codes, and densely populated areas. The BBC report
after the disaster stated that Haiti had 72.1% of its population living on less
than $2 a day, with many living in poor housing and in densely populated
shantytowns (Rodgers n. pag.). More so, they lived in poorly constructed buildings.
The reason for poor construction is lac of capital to ensure a solid
infrastructure for the buildings, and the government did not ensure that
constructors followed the building codes. Even though the country had
structures in place for building codes, actions of corruption undermined their
implementation. These combined social factors created conditions that would
lead to high devastation in case of a natural disaster. The devastation of the
7.3 magnitude earthquake was thus stronger and more catastrophic because
buildings are more likely to crumble. Armadeo reported that the earthquake
damaged 294,383 homes and destroyed 106,000 houses (n. pag, para. 3). The
destruction included 60% of city government buildings, and 80% of schools in
the city. The National Geography reported that the earthquake toppled various
buildings including the National Palace, a hospital, and schools trapping
thousands and killing many others (n. pag, para. 1).
The second infrastructural challenge in
Haiti was the development of road networks. The BBC reported that when the
earthquake hit Haiti, the airport was half-functional and the route maintenance
was poor (Rodgers n. pag). Therefore, rescue worker and other resources took a
day to navigate through the road. More so, the urban environment was densely
populated making it difficult to reach those in need of help. Rescue workers
had to content with congestion and lac of roads. The Red Cross reported to the
BBC that one of the major issues experienced in Haiti was lack of space, and
the constantly shifting population.
In conclusion, the earthquake in Haiti
provides lessons for government agencies dealing with disaster preparedness as
well as environmentalists. Degradation of the environment increases the
possibility of devastation, and thus governments may need to begin establishing
systems to improve on the environment such as reforestation and soil upgrading.
In Haiti, the issue of infrastructural soundness in building and road network
seems to have a more devastating impact. The government failure is also evident
especially in failing to ensure that constructors followed building codes, and
not ensuring accessibility to various sections of the city.
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