1. “Earthquake in Haiti, 2010 has a greater
destruction than earthquake in Sichuan,
2008. Redevelopment in Haiti is more
effective than that in Sichuan.” Discuss.
Group Members: Tiffany Chan (5)
[ F. 4C ] May Chan (6)
Lily Cheung (9)
Kathy Leung (21)
Fiona Leung (22)
Chloe Yam (36)

2. Sichuan Earthquake, 2008
 Plate involved
Eurasian Plate and Indo-Australian Plate
 Plate boundary
Destructive plate boundary

3. Newspaper cutting

4. Newspaper cutting

5. Sichuan Earthquake, 2008
 Physical factors that led to earthquake
240 million years ago…
• Indo-Australian plate moved northward,
collided with the Eurasian plate, causing
uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. (青藏高原)

6. Sichuan Earthquake, 2008
 Physical factors that led to earthquake
• The high Tibetan Plateau continue to
have a slow eastward movement of 10-15
mm per year.
• The movement meets strong resistance
from the South China Block
• Causing the formation of Longmenshan
Fault

7. Sichuan Earthquake, 2008
 Physical factors that led to earthquake
On May 12, 2008…
• The movement of the
crustal materials along
the Longmenshan Fault
resulted earthquakes in
the past, which also
caused this violent
earthquake

8. Sichuan Earthquake, 2008
 Damages caused by human factors
Construction of Zipingpu Dam
The construction and filling of the Zipingpu
Dam (紫坪鋪水庫) triggered the earthquake.
• The sudden shift of a huge quantity of water
into the region could have relaxed the tension
between the two sides of the fault
• allowing them to move apart, and could have
increased the direct pressure on it, causing a
violent rupture.

9. Sichuan Earthquake, 2008
 Damages caused by human factors
Photos of Zipingpu Dam:

10. Sichuan Earthquake, 2008
 Damages caused by human factors
Low Technological Level
• The Chinese government hid the
earthquake warning
• No advanced warning system

11. Sichuan Earthquake, 2008
 Damages caused by human factors
The buildings were poorly constructed
• Many of the buildings were quite old and not
built with any regulations overseeing them
• The central government estimates that over
7000 schoolrooms collapsed in the earthquake.
• Chinese citizens have since invented a catch
phrase “ tofu-dregs schoolhouses” (豆腐渣校舍)
to mock both the quantity of these inferior
constructions that killed so many children.

12. Sichuan Earthquake, 2008
 Damages caused by human factors
Low education level & low awareness towards earthquake
• When there are earthquakes, people
don’t know how to react properly
• The Chinese government did not have
a well-developed Emergency
mechanism

13. Sichuan Earthquake, 2008
 Damages caused by human factors
Low emergency relief
• Outdated medical facilities
 victims couldn’t receive proper
medical treatment
• Poor communication network
 delayed the rescue work

14. Sichuan Earthquake, 2008
 Solutions by government/voluntary organization
For the government:
• Central set up earthquake relief headquarters,
appointed by the commander Wen Jiabao.
• Military dispatched soldiers and
helicopters to the disaster area, militia
and reserve forces and medical teams
also put into relief.

15. Sichuan Earthquake, 2008
 Solutions by government/voluntary organization
For the voluntary organizations:
• Donated and contributed money and
materials (eg. Food, clothes) to the
victims.
• Offered resettlement assistance (eg.
proceeded domestic adoption, family
foster care, boarding schools, etc.)

16. Newspaper cutting

17. Newspaper cutting

18. Haiti Earthquake, 2010
 Plate involved
Caribbean plate and North American plate
 Plate boundary
Conservative plate boundary

19. Haiti Earthquake, 2010
Physical factors that led to earthquake
The quake occurred in the region of the northern
boundary where the Caribbean plate shifts
eastwards by about 20 millimetres (0.79 in) per
year to the North American plate.

20. Haiti Earthquake, 2010
Physical factors that led to earthquake
•The tear / transform fault system in the region
has two branches in Haiti
•The Septentrional-Oriente fault in the north
and the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault in the
south
•Focal mechanism (震源機制解) suggest that the
quake was caused by a rupture of the Enriquillo-
Plantain Garden fault, which had been locked
for 250 years, gathering stress.

21. Haiti Earthquake, 2010
Physical factors that led to earthquake

22. Haiti Earthquake, 2010
 Damages caused by human factors
Population density of the area
• a quarter of the population is concentrated in
the capital Port-au-Prine
Jerry-building
• 60% of the buildings are all dangerous
housing

23. Haiti Earthquake, 2010
 Solutions by government/voluntary organization
For the government:
Reorganize the plans in order to increase
the speed of relieving the victims
Put up tents for the survivors
Help to clear up and entomb the dead
bodies
Rally the transportation

24. Haiti Earthquake, 2010
 Solutions by government/voluntary organization
For the voluntary organizations:
Médicins Sans Frontières (無國界醫生) set up
temporary medical centers for the injuries
 International Committee of the Red Cross helped out
with the distribute the goods and materials for the
survivors
 United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti （聯合國海
地穩定特派團）set up rescue mission control centre to
coordinate with the rescue operation

25. Which factor, human factor or physical factor,
plays a more significant part in leading to
damages of earthquakes?
= Human factor
Because:
• Human factors > physical factors
• Corruption of government officials
jerry-building
• Low Technological Level
no advanced warming system
people cannot prevent early with measures
• Construction work
affect plate movement

26.  What hinder the redevelopment in these regions?
• As they are less developed countries
Do not have enough money for the
redevelopment
Dependent on foreign countries’
donations
Corruption of government officials

27. The End