1 Read the following report about the 2010 Haiti earthquake and summarise the main information using bullet points.
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a
catastrophic 7.0 magnitude earthquake,
with an epicentre near the town of
Léogane, approximately 25 km west of
Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The
earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on
Tuesday, 12 January 2010. By 24 January,
at least 52 aftershocks measuring 4.5 or
greater had been recorded. An estimated
three million people were affected by the
quake; the Haitian Government reported
that an estimated 230,000 people had died,
300,000 had been injured and 1,000,000
made homeless. They also estimated that
250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged.
The earthquake caused major damage to Port-au-Prince, Jacmel and other settlements in the
region. Many notable landmark buildings were significantly damaged or destroyed, including the
Presidential Palace, the National Assembly building, the Port-au-Prince Cathedral, and the main
jail. Among those killed were Archbishop of Port-au-Prince, Joseph Serge Miot, and opposition
leader Micha Gaillard. The headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti,
located in the capital, collapsed, killing many, including the Mission's Chief.
Many countries responded to appeals for humanitarian aid, pledging funds and dispatching
rescue and medical teams, engineers and support personnel. Communication systems, air,
land, and sea transport facilities, hospitals, and electrical networks had been damaged by the
earthquake, which hampered rescue and aid efforts; confusion over who was in charge, air traffic
congestion, and problems with prioritisation of flights further complicated early relief work Port-
au-Prince's morgues were quickly overwhelmed with many tens of thousands of bodies having
to be buried in mass graves. As rescues tailed off, supplies, medical care and sanitation became
priorities. Delays in aid distribution led to angry appeals from aid workers and survivors, and some
looting and sporadic violence being observed.
on 22 January the United Nations noted that the emergency phase of the relief operation was
drawing to a close, and on the following day the Haitian government officially called off the search
for survivors
Gitende​