Why Did So Many Have to Die?

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    Date:Jan27,2010

    WhyDidSoManyDie?

    Wehaveallseenthehorrificimagesofbodiespiledbytheroadside.Wehaveallheardthepleasfor

    help,theconcernedjournalistswhostepamongstthebodiesshovingmicrophonesinsufferingfaces,

    handwater(oncamera)toachildorwatchplaneandboatloadsofmaterielarrivingasaid.What

    continuestopuzzlemeisthis:Whydidsomanypeopledie?ThebuildingsinHaitiare,forthemostpart,

    lowstructures.WhencomparedtotheKashmirregioninIndia/Pakistan,whichhadamuchstronger

    quakein2008,thedeathtollistentimeshigherpercapita,sowhathappened?

    Someofthiscanbeblamedonthetypeofhousing,thecheaperthefasterinanimpoverished

    country.Partofthiscanbeblamed,asDavidBrookspointedoutintheNYTimes,onmicroaidbrought

    onbymoreNGOcharitiespercapitathananyothernationonearthmicroaiddispensedhandtohand

    insteadofmacroaiddoledouttoimprovetheinfrastructureandviabilityofthewholecountry.Andwe

    haveallheardthenonsenseofthebiblethumperswhowanttoblamethedevil.

    Thereisnodoubtthatbetterbuildingsmayhavesavedmanymorelives.Ifthesamequakehadhit,

    say,OrangeCountyinCalifornia(southofLA),wheremosthomesare12stories,thebetterbuilding

    codeswouldhavepreventedasmanyas65%oftheseriousinjuries.Butthatstilldoesnotaccountfor

    theincredibledeathrateinHaitifromanearthquakethatwashardlythestrongestonefeltcomparedto

    otherregionsintherecentpast.Therearereportsthathundredsofpeoplewerefounddeadwithouta

    scratchon

    them,

    except

    for

    abruised

    skin

    as

    they

    collapsed.

    What

    can

    cause

    this

    violent

    adeath,

    a

    deathbyshaking?

    Itseemstherearedifferentkindsofearthquakes,asdifferentasahurricaneistoatornado.Thisone

    waslikeatornado,ahugetornado.Thisoneranalongwhatiscalledaslipstrikefault.Ageologist,Dr.

    Calais,summeditupthisway,"It'sahorizontalmotionoftwopiecesoftheEarth'scrustoneitherside

    ofaverticalcrackintheEarth.ThatisverysimilartotheSanAndreasFaultinCalifornia,forexample.

    Thatisthewaythatfaultoperatesaswell.ThisfaultinHaitialsorunsbeneaththeDominicanRepublic.

    They

    had

    a

    bad

    one

    in

    1946which

    caused

    a

    Tsunami

    (tidal

    wave).

    And

    both

    parts

    of

    the

    island

    were

    often

    affectedinpastcenturies,butnooneknowshowmanydiedbackthen.

    "Themainfactoristheearthquake'ssize,"saidStuartSipkin,aseismologistattheU.S.Geological

    Surveycommentingonthehugeforcesinvolved."Butthenthereisalsotheearthquakedepth.Thiswas

    averyshallowearthquake,whichmeansitwouldtendtobemoredestructive.Andthenthere'sthe

    proximitytowherepeoplelive."

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    "ThecityofPortauPrince,thecapitalofHaiti,isessentiallybuiltonthatfault,"saidPurdue'sEric

    Calais.

    Whenyoucouplecheap,shoddyhousing,adensepopulationlivingonaslipstrikefault,an

    earthquakeof8ormoreontheRichterscaleyouhavearecipefordisaster.Peoplecandiesandingup,

    intheclear.ThereisnodoubtthattheprimereasonforthenumberofdeathsinHaiticanonlybethe

    faultofthegeography:wheretheyputthebuildingsandthepopulation issmackonaslipstrike

    fault.Whatamistakethatis.Whatamistakewehavemadeonthatsisterslipstrikefaultis:theSan

    Andreas.Whendisasterstrikes,itwillbenousepretendingwedidnotknowwhatcouldhappen.Like

    theleveewallsinNewOrleans,wehaveplentyofexamplesandscientistswhoknow,already,whatthe

    dangersare.Butwillwelisten?