WHAT HAPPENED:
On January 12, 2010, a powerful earthquake struck some 15 miles south-west of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, bringing chaos and destruction. The initial shock of 7.0 magnitude was quickly followed by aftershocks of 5.9 and 5.5. Aftershocks continued to batter the area throughout the following weeks. The devastation was on a scale previously unimaginable – homes were reduced to rubble, families were separated, livelihoods were completely destroyed.
THE IMPACT:
- 250,000 lives were lost.
- 5 million people saw their homes reduced to rubble.
- 3,500,000 people were affected. Of these, over one million were left homeless in the immediate aftermath.
- 1.5 million people were forced to live in makeshift camps with the rainy season just weeks away.
- 4,000 schools were damaged or destroyed, and access to clean water and sanitation were severely compromised.
- The condiitons led to a serious outbreak of cholera which affected over 6% of the population and caused the further loss of thousands of more lives.
April 2010: People are pictured buying and selling goods in a bustling market area set up in front of badly damaged buildings in the downtown area of Port-au-Prince. The earthquake’s epicenter was only 17 kilometres from Port-au-Prince. The result was destruction on a massive scale – 300,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, displacing around 1.6 million people. (Source: UNICEF PHOTO)
HCP stands with all Humanitarian and Human Rights groups committed to improving the lives of our families and homeland.
