Lessons from the Haiti Earthquake

Takaaki Sato Kazuki Tanuma Soichiro Endo 　 NGUYEN VIET NGA

B3 Students Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Tokyo Institute of Technology

Outline

• Why did earthquake happen?

• Main causes make earthquake’s damage more than twice as lethal as any previous magnitude 7.0 　　 event.

• Conclusions

Haiti earthquake in detail

The absence of surface rupture means that elastic energy is still stored.

Port-an-Prince

Port-an-Prince

In 1751, a violent earthquake to the east occurred.

In 1770, reconstructed city was again demolished.

Port-an-Prince

In 1751, a violent earthquake to the east occurred.

In 1770, reconstructed city was again demolished.

More shocks soon?

→ have released all the elastic energy?

Why the damage grow worse?

ⅰ)The uneven application of appropriate building codes

About 80% of all schools collapsed inthe Port-au-Prince area, and a similar percentage in the 2005 Kashmir earthquake.

If buildings are not made earthquake resistant,the toll is likely to continue to rise as cities growin population.

Global increase in population would anticipate.

Haiti has been same situation in earthquake .

ⅱ） Population increasing

: a collapsed buillding

: A Haitian city after the earthquake

Conclusions

• Training contractors and labourers in sound construction methods.

• Introduce appropriate building codes.

→Ensure that people do not construct buildings designed to kill their occupants

It is time for civil engineers to flourish!!