The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake centered approximately 10 miles (16 km) from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, at 16:53:09 local time (21:53:09 UTC) on Tuesday 12 January 2010. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 6.2 miles (10.0 km). The United States Geological Survey recorded a series of aftershocks, twelve of them between magnitudes 5.0 and 5.9.
Estimated Population Living in Hardest Hit Areas
Estimates of the population living in the hardest hit areas were determined using USAID's Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS Net) Population Explorer. Based on the United States Geological Survey's maps for the areas hardest hit, the estimate of people living in this area is 3,725,615. Of this total there are an estimated 495,509 children between the ages of 0 and 5 years of age. These estimates are based on Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Landscan data (2008) and USAID FEWS NET's Population Explorer tool. The table below provides an estimated gender and age breakdown. These are based on Landscan and Haiti demographic data. Note these estimates were made on 13 January 2010.
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake centred approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) from Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, which struck at 16:53:09 local time (21:53:09 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 13 kilometres (8.1 mi). The United States Geological Survey recorded a series of aftershocks, fourteen of them between magnitudes 5.0 and 5.9. The International Red Cross estimates that there have been as many as three million people affected by the quake, and an estimated 45,000–50,000 deaths.
Most of Port-au-Prince's major landmarks were significantly damaged or destroyed in the earthquake, including the Presidential Palace (though the President survived), the National Assembly building, the Port-au-Prince Cathedral, and the main jail. All hospitals were destroyed or so badly damaged that they have been abandoned. The United Nations reported that headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), located in the capital, collapsed and that a large number of UN personnel were unaccounted for. The Mission's Chief, Hédi Annabi, was confirmed dead on 13 January by President René Préval.
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