Historical Context
On January 12, 2010, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the Caribbean nation of Haiti, severely damaging the capital Port-au-Prince and resulting in the deaths of 100,000-316,000 people.
Haiti was already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere when the earthquake struck. The Haitian government said around 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings were leveled in the quake, which significantly worsened already poor housing conditions in the country.
A major international rescue effort began shortly after the earthquake, but was hampered by poor communication and damaged facilities. On 22 January the United Nations ended the emergency phase of relief and on 23 January the Haitian government ended the search for survivors.
Photo Info
Photographer: Marcello Casal Jr/ABr
Date taken: February 10, 2010
Location taken: Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Related Events
- 2010-01-12 Earthquake devastates Haiti, killing approximately 160,000 and destroying the majority of the capital Port-au-Prince
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