Haiti has a history of earthquakes and hurricanes. A look back at a decade of disaster
Haiti was hit by a powerful earthquake Saturday and is forecast to get doused by Tropical Storm Grace’s heavy rains in the next few days.
The disasters come just days after it saw heavy rain from Fred, a tropical storm that weakened into a tropical depression while moving over Hispaniola. The country is also still reeling from last month’s assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.
Saturday’s 7.2 magnitude earthquake is slightly stronger than the one that struck the country in 2010 near its capital, Port-au-Prince. Hundreds of people are already confirmed dead with additional fatalities expected. Videos and pictures coming out of the island show the devastating destruction the quake left behind.
Haiti is no stranger to earthquakes or hurricanes. And like the rest of the world, it has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 570 people and infected more than 20,000, according to Johns Hopkins University & Medicine COVID-19 dashboard. Haiti received its first shipment of COVID vaccines from the U.S. in July.
Natural disasters in Haiti: A look back from 2010 to today
▪ August 2021: Haiti is struck by a 7.2. magnitude earthquake, followed by smaller aftershocks. More than 300 people are killed. The total death count and the extent of the quake’s damage won’t be known for days to come.
▪ August 2020: Hurricane Laura, a Category 4 storm, killed at least 20 people in Haiti and knocked out power for more than a million.
▪ March and April 2020: Haiti confirms its first COVID-19 case in March. A month later, the country confirms its first COVID death.
▪ October 2018: A 5.9 magnitude earthquake hits northern Haiti and leads to the deaths of at least 15 people and injuries to more than 300 others.
▪ October 2016: Hurricane Matthew hits Haiti as a Category 4 storm, causing billions of dollars of damage and killing over 500 people, displacing thousands while devastating infrastructure.
▪ October 2012: Hurricane Sandy was the cause of at least 51 deaths when it hit the country as a Category 2 storm. About 200,000 people became homeless after days of relentless rains.
▪ October 2010: A cholera epidemic hits outside of Port-au-Prince and leads to over 820,000 cases and nearly 10,000 deaths. It was one of the worst cholera outbreaks in recent history.
▪ January 2010: A magnitude 7 earthquake hits Haiti on Jan. 12 near Port-au-Prince, killing more than 300,000 and destroying the homes of 1.5 million people. A week later, a second earthquake, this time a magnitude 6.1, hits the country.
This story was originally published August 14, 2021 at 9:13 PM.
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