POLITICAL SCIENCE: GLOBAL DISASTERS 2010
What happened in the year of 2010?
JANUARY 2010, HAITI EARTHQUAKE
On January 12, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastates Haiti, killed an estimated 230,000
and destroyed the nation's infrastructure. On January 27, 2010, Apple Computer unveils the
iPad tablet computer.
Multi-storey concrete buildings collapsed as well as thousands of homes, displacing up to 1.5
million people. Almost 4,000 schools were damaged or destroyed by the earthquake. The Inter-
American Development Bank estimated that the disaster incurred between $7.8 billion and $8.5
billion in damage.
On the right the fault that caused Tuesday's quake is a ―strike-slip‖ fault — the same type as the
San Andreas Fault in California — which means that the plates are sliding horizontally past one
another, rather than one slipping under the other.
Geologists initially blamed the earthquake on the movement of the Caribbean tectonic plate
eastward along the Enriquillo–Plantain Garden (EPG) strike-slip fault system.
The earthquake in Haiti affected millions of people who were already among the most
disadvantaged on the planet.
250,000 lives were lost.
5 million people saw their homes reduced to rubble.
3,500,000 people were affected. ...
1.5 million people were forced to live in makeshift camps with the rainy season just weeks away.
MR. BILL OCHIEWO OPATA Page 1
, POLITICAL SCIENCE: GLOBAL DISASTERS 2010
On the picture above more than 220,000 people were killed and over 300,000 injured. The
massive earthquake, the biggest the region had seen in 200 years, left more than 1.5 million
people homeless and resulted in an immense humanitarian crisis.
How did the 2010 Haiti earthquake affect the global economy? The variation in economic flows
(losses of production, reduction in revenue, loss of jobs and wages, increases in production
costs, etc.) amounts to US$ 3.561 billion, i.e. 45% of the total). Housing is undoubtedly the
sector most affected by the earthquake, given that the total damage amounts to US$ 2.300
billion. A massive earthquake near the capital in 2010 killed about 220,000 Haitians and
displaced 1.5 million more. At $8 billion, basic reconstruction costs surpassed the country's
annual GDP.
Many Haitians are still facing repercussions from Hurricanes Tomas (2010) and Matthew
(2016), the last major earthquake in 2010, and a severe drought that has further compromised
the island nation's water resources.
A main conclusion is that much of the loss of human life could have been prevented by using
earthquake-resistant designs and construction, as well as improved quality control in concrete
and masonry work.
FEBUARY 2010
Snowmageddon: (informal) A severe blizzard or series of blizzards affecting one locale.
A record-breaking snow storm occurred across much of the
Midwest on February 8th-10th, 2010. Snow began to overspread
the area late in the evening on Monday, February 8th, and
continued until the early morning hours on Wednesday,
February 10th.
What caused the snow storm?
The research shows that the extreme weather
over the Eastern U.S. in the winter of 2009-10
was part of a response mainly to El Niño and its
associated Pacific Ocean sea surface
temperatures. According to Nasa.gov
MR. BILL OCHIEWO OPATA Page 2
What happened in the year of 2010?
JANUARY 2010, HAITI EARTHQUAKE
On January 12, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastates Haiti, killed an estimated 230,000
and destroyed the nation's infrastructure. On January 27, 2010, Apple Computer unveils the
iPad tablet computer.
Multi-storey concrete buildings collapsed as well as thousands of homes, displacing up to 1.5
million people. Almost 4,000 schools were damaged or destroyed by the earthquake. The Inter-
American Development Bank estimated that the disaster incurred between $7.8 billion and $8.5
billion in damage.
On the right the fault that caused Tuesday's quake is a ―strike-slip‖ fault — the same type as the
San Andreas Fault in California — which means that the plates are sliding horizontally past one
another, rather than one slipping under the other.
Geologists initially blamed the earthquake on the movement of the Caribbean tectonic plate
eastward along the Enriquillo–Plantain Garden (EPG) strike-slip fault system.
The earthquake in Haiti affected millions of people who were already among the most
disadvantaged on the planet.
250,000 lives were lost.
5 million people saw their homes reduced to rubble.
3,500,000 people were affected. ...
1.5 million people were forced to live in makeshift camps with the rainy season just weeks away.
MR. BILL OCHIEWO OPATA Page 1
, POLITICAL SCIENCE: GLOBAL DISASTERS 2010
On the picture above more than 220,000 people were killed and over 300,000 injured. The
massive earthquake, the biggest the region had seen in 200 years, left more than 1.5 million
people homeless and resulted in an immense humanitarian crisis.
How did the 2010 Haiti earthquake affect the global economy? The variation in economic flows
(losses of production, reduction in revenue, loss of jobs and wages, increases in production
costs, etc.) amounts to US$ 3.561 billion, i.e. 45% of the total). Housing is undoubtedly the
sector most affected by the earthquake, given that the total damage amounts to US$ 2.300
billion. A massive earthquake near the capital in 2010 killed about 220,000 Haitians and
displaced 1.5 million more. At $8 billion, basic reconstruction costs surpassed the country's
annual GDP.
Many Haitians are still facing repercussions from Hurricanes Tomas (2010) and Matthew
(2016), the last major earthquake in 2010, and a severe drought that has further compromised
the island nation's water resources.
A main conclusion is that much of the loss of human life could have been prevented by using
earthquake-resistant designs and construction, as well as improved quality control in concrete
and masonry work.
FEBUARY 2010
Snowmageddon: (informal) A severe blizzard or series of blizzards affecting one locale.
A record-breaking snow storm occurred across much of the
Midwest on February 8th-10th, 2010. Snow began to overspread
the area late in the evening on Monday, February 8th, and
continued until the early morning hours on Wednesday,
February 10th.
What caused the snow storm?
The research shows that the extreme weather
over the Eastern U.S. in the winter of 2009-10
was part of a response mainly to El Niño and its
associated Pacific Ocean sea surface
temperatures. According to Nasa.gov
MR. BILL OCHIEWO OPATA Page 2
