Landscape II: Landscape and Hazards

Map 1: Displaying tectonic plate boundaries and three points located in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

     Looking at the map above, you will notice a red line right above Haiti. This line represents a tectonic plate boundary. This particular boundary is a transform boundary. Transform boundaries occur when two tectonic plates slide past each other. Transform boundaries are best known for causing earthquakes.  

    In January 2010, Port-Au-Prince Haiti experienced great devastation due to a 7.0 magnitude Earthquake. Between the initial earthquake and the reported 54 aftershocks, this disaster caused havoc to Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Due to the poverty, Haiti had little resources for the aftermath. There were anywhere between 100,000 and 300,000 deaths, the true number is still unknown. More than 1,300 schools and 50 healthcare facilities were completely demolished. Major telephone poles were destroyed and roadways were blocked with debris. This is only a short list of the damage endured by Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas.  

    By zooming into Port-au-Prince, Haiti on the map above, you will notice three placemarks. Each placemark has an attached link to an article about the 2010 Earthquake and a short description of the location and how this particular area was affected. The locations include: Palais National, Place du Marron, and The National Penitentiary.  

Image 1: Image from Wikipedia. The National Palace after the devastating Earthquake, the damage is displayed in this photo. 

        Similar to U.S. White House, Palais National in Haiti plays a big role in Port-au-Prince. Palais National housed many important people, including President Réne Préval and his wife, neither were harmed during the Earthquake. Like Palais National, many government buildings were damaged, destroyed, or demolished. This left the buildings to be unsafe and unusable. With the buildings shut down, the residents of Port-au-Prince had nowhere to go or call to receive help, leaving Port-au-Prince in deeper havoc.  

 

Image 2: Screenshot from GEP of Palais National and                       Image 3: Screenshot from GEP of Palais National 

 Place du Marron in 2009.                                                                    Place du Marron in Jan. 2010 after the earthquake. 

    

    In the images above, you can visualize a before and after the disaster of Palais National and Place du Marron. Place du Marron played a big role in the aftermath of the earthquake. Pre-earthquake, Place du Marron was a lovely park that many enjoyed. Post-earthquake, Place du Marron had to serve as a temporary home to many residents of Port-au-Prince. Haiti did not have building codes, causing many homes and infrastructure to have poor foundation. If your home was destroyed by the disaster, it was extremely unsafe to stay throughout the aftershocks. Looking closely at Image 3, you will notice many tents and tarps that many Haitians had to live in for an extended period of time post earthquake.  

 

Image 4: Screenshot from GEP of the         Image 5: Screenshot from GEP of the National

National Penitentiary in 2009.              Penitentiary in 2010, after the Earthquake. 

    Another example of before and after image is displayed above. The Haiti National Penitentiary was destroyed during the earthquake. This disaster allowed around 4000 inmates to escape into Port-au-Prince. This left Port-au-Prince in even more danger and chaos than before.