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Last updated 20 Aug 2025

Haiti earthquake 2010

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Introduction

The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake that struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The initial earthquake was soon followed by two aftershocks of magnitudes 5.9 and 5.5.

More aftershocks occurred in the following days, including another one of magnitude 5.9 that struck on January 20 at Petit Goâve, a town some 35 miles (55 km) west of Port-au-Prince. Haiti had not been hit by an earthquake of such enormity since the 18th century, the closest in force being a 1984 shock of magnitude 6.9. A magnitude-8.0 earthquake had struck the Dominican Republic in 1946.

Death toll estimates range from 100,000 to about 160,000 to Haitian government figures from 220,000 to 316,000. The government of Haiti estimated that 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged.

Hazards
Earthquake
Country and region
Haiti

Knowledge base

Items: 23
sustainability-17-04967-v2.pdf thumbnail
Documents and publications
20 August 2025
Post-disaster recovery assessment using sentiment analysis of english-language tweets: A tenth-anniversary case study of the 2010 Haiti earthquake

This study uses social media (SM) as a resource to track the progress of the post-disaster recovery of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Text data from tweets on SM undergo sentiment analysis, providing a promising tool for understanding earthquake recovery.

Sustainability (MDPI)
Debris Management: The Door to Development
Documents and publications
Publications
24 July 2017
Debris Management: The Door to Development

This systematization document delves into the human development approach of the debris management projects implemented in Haiti.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Documents and publications
24 October 2016
What did we learn? The shelter response and housing recovery in the first two years after the 2010 Haiti earthquake

This report is a synthesis of the experiences, observations, and recommendations of a large group of experienced post-disaster shelter and recovery experts gathered from interviews, surveys, and direct discussions, and information derived from a desk

World Bank, the
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)
Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, the (GFDRR)
Habitat for Humanity International
Documents and publications
Case Study
23 February 2015
Recovery framework case study: Haiti earthquake 2010 - recovery from a mega disaster

This document presents the recovery case study of Haiti after 2010 earthquake. It focuses on the policies and practices of recovery from that time until the present. This document summarizes the key findings from the case study.

World Bank, the
Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, the (GFDRR)
Documents and publications
21 January 2015
Five years on from the Haiti earthquake: the EU’s response

This fact sheet summarizes the support that the European Union (EU) has and will continue to provide to Haiti to aid in Haiti's recovery and in building its resilience to withstand future disasters. This support comes after the devastating earthquake in

European Union
Documents and publications
31 January 2014
Homeowner-driven housing reconstruction and retrofitting in Haiti: lessons learned, 4 years after the earthquake

This paper presents a summary of lessons learned to date in building and retrofitting housing in Haiti following the January 12, 2010 earthquake, with the intent of influencing the implementation of future post-disaster housing reconstruction programs in

Build Change
Documents and publications
Case Study
26 January 2014
Towards a comprehensive response to health system strengthening in crisis-affected fragile states: the Haiti case study

The aim of this project is to infer elements of a strategic framework for health system strengthening in crisis-affected fragile states, focusing on the optimal use of contributions from global actors.

Joint Analysis and Lessons Learned Centre, NATO
Harvard Medical School
Documents and publications
23 December 2013
Disaster as opportunity? Building back better in Aceh, Myanmar and Haiti

This paper seeks to contribute to the analytical base around build back better through an examination of its application in three disaster responses, the Indian Ocean tsunami in Aceh, Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar and the earthquake in Haiti.

ODI Global
Documents and publications
30 January 2013
Séisme en Haïti: bilan et Regards sur trois ans d'actions

In French:

Ce rapport présente le bilan de l’action humanitaire en faveur des victimes du terrible séisme qui a dévasté Haïti et sa capitale 12 janvier 2010. Après trois ans d’actions sans relâche en Haïti, la Croix-Rouge française est convaincue qu’il

French Red Cross
Responding to Urban Disasters: Learning from previous relief and recovery operations
Documents and publications
Case Study
Publications
27 November 2012
Responding to Urban Disasters: Learning from previous relief and recovery operations

This paper outlines key lessons related to the design and implementation of urban disaster-response programmes. It focuses on the response and early recovery phases of an urban emergency, and on natural disasters such as earthquakes and flooding.

Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance (ALNAP)

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