[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Poor construction on buildings.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[Hamilcar_Barca]

A missionary that has worked in Haiti said that while his group in making their own cinder blocks would get around 20 blocks (I forgot the exact number) from a bag of cement, Haitians would make about 80 from the same amount of cement. When the earthquake came the poorly made, mostly sand blocks crumbled. It’s understandable if one doesn’t have much money and can’t afford the building materials that you’ll stretch what you have. But this lean mix of concrete had fatal implications.

[Blood of Tyrants]

I’m not so sure that Memphis would fare much better if the New Madrid fault let go.