Haiti’s Disastrous Earthquake

In 2010, Haiti suffered a devastating 7.0 earthquake and unfortunately on August 14, 2021, Haiti was hit with another earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2. Because Haiti sits between the crossing of two tectonic plates, they are very prone to earthquakes and other natural disasters. According to World Vision, the death toll is 2,200, at least 12,200 are injured, and some are still missing. Although many of us have already forgotten about this, the people in Haiti are living with the damage of the disaster every day.

It is believed the earthquake originated from the same fault line as the one in 2010, called the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden system. When the first earthquake hit 11 years ago, the country was already in political turmoil and was and still is a very poor country, with much of its population living in extreme poverty. The natural disaster in 2010 left almost 1.5 million people homeless and hundreds of thousands dead or injured, many casualties due to unstable structures within the apartment and highrise buildings. The country was never able to fully recover after the first earthquake, according to National Public Radio (NPR), when the second one destroyed the country all over again a decade later.

The earthquake mainly damaged two cities, Le Cayes and Jeremie, both on opposite sides of the peninsula. In an article on World Vision, written by Kathryn Reid, she reported “more than 50,000 homes were destroyed and another 77,000 damaged. Sixty places of worship, 20 schools, and 25 health centers were among the buildings destroyed or damaged. In addition, 48 foster homes, which care for 1,700 children, were damaged” hundreds of thousands of Hatian people’s lives are still and will forever be affected by this disaster for months to come.