Why did so many people die in Haiti's quake?

BBC News ^ | February 14, 2010 | Lucy Rodgers

[EnjoyingLife]

The devastating earthquakes that hit China on 12 May 2008, Italy on 6 April 2009 and Haiti one month ago [12 January 2010] all measured above 6.0 and took many lives. But why was the human cost so much greater for Haiti?

[EnjoyingLife]

Photographs via http://chamorrobible.org/gpw/gpw-201001.htm (55, 46, 37, 36, 59)

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Poor construction on buildings.

[sionnsar]

Corruption.

[GeronL]

Being such a rich, advanced and modern country Haiti found its hi-tech systems vulnerable to earthquakes?

//sarc

Seriously. Its dirt poor. It needs liberty and capitalism, badly.

Plus when you get that high on the rochter scale, concrete basically turns liquid.

[dragnet2]

Why did so many people die in Haiti's quake?

Gezzz..They have to ask this question??

[RSmithOpt]

poor construction because of the lack of rebar in their buildings......steel costs are high when always imported.

[Texas Eagle]

For one thing, it appears their building codes prohibit the use of rebar.

[MrEdd]

and rampant malnurishment amongst the populace. and lack of training and equipment to pull the injured from the rubble quickly. and the list goes on.

This is a situation with a host of contributing factors, rather than a single over riding factor.

[buccaneer81]

Because we evil capitalist white Americans didn’t give up even more of our paychecks to build quakeproof housing for a noble and deserving third world hellhole.

[ConservaTexan]

Because the higher you can inflate the numbers, the more international (U.S) $$$ you can expect.

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

This is a situation with a host of contributing factors, rather than a single over riding factor
I agree with you.

[BunnySlippers]

Yes, you know if you live in LA. The building codes are super strict. They add many dollars to any construction on property.

Strict building codes, no pay offs = safety in earthquake conditions.

[Persevero]

They don’t even have a fire department. In the whole country.

I don’t think fire was a big issue. It just reveals the incredible lack of resources in what should be a reasonably wealthy country.

[MilspecRob]

Corruption.

True, for century's

[al baby]

I think its the sphincter factor scale

[ATX 1985]

After the earthquake there was a cloud of dust that engulfed Port-au-Prince. That was obviously the first indicator of the mass destruction of the city. I can't imagine seeing that cloud of death in person.

[LiberConservative]

The dirt they could have used to reinforce their buildings they had to eat to survive.

[the_Watchman]

The Haitians would have been inclined to inflate numbers to increase aid, as you suggest. On the flip side, the Chinese would tend to deflate numbers as a matter of pride.

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

I want to feel safe when I enter into a building in downtown LA that I will be able to survive and that the buiding will not collapse.

[999replies]

Bingo, I did not see one piece of rebar during ALL of the coverage.