haiti+quake

News update with new figures in comparison to the Sechuan and Italian Earthquakes: []
 * || Haiti, Jan 10th 2010 ||
 * Frequency || last major quake in 1771 and in 1750 (USGS/Wikipedia). ||
 * Duration || longest **duration** of faulting ever observed, between 8.3 and 10 minutes. * hottestnews.org ||
 * Magnitude || 7.0 (USGS) ||
 * Causes || lateral movement of fault ||
 * Physical Impacts || * Land height change in Harbour
 * Coral reef raised on opposite side
 * Damage to infrastructure such as roads making some areas impossible to get through which slowed down aid
 * Collapse of many building such as the UN building, Presidential Palace (partially), civilian's homes "pancaked" (source Professor Roger Bilham, Haiti's killer quake, Channel4) ||
 * Human Impacts || 230,000 deaths (USGS website) ||
 * Human Responses || migration to Dominican Republic ||

One thing to remember is the capacity to cope (i.e. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, so they have financial difficulties when it comes to major physical disasters)

Map showing the intensity of shaking and the epicentre of the earthquake.

Donations are now being focused towards more long term needs - - school fees for children - repairing and rebuilding homes - provision of seeds and tools for the forthcoming planting season - distribution of livestock - provision of relief and shelter for those who fled to rural areas
 * Long Term Relief:** //[christianaid]//

On the 17th March 2010 Haiti government asked for $1billion in aid to help rebuild their capital Port au Prince (BBC News)