AliThomasKat

=.comparison of the chile and haiti earthquakes = =links: **[|WIKIPEDIA 2010 CHILE]** **[|BREAKING NEWS]** [|**COMPARISON CHILE HAITI**]=

Click here and Can you guess which is Chile, and which is Haiti?
The earthquake in Chile was devastating towards everyone in the country. The earthquake that struck in Chile was one of the largest in history; in fact, it was only second (in Chile of course, in the world it was tied in fifth place with two earthquakes from Ecuador and Bolivia) to the 1960 Valdivia earthquake, an earthquake that reached 9.6 on the moment-magnitude scale and is the largest earthquake ever instrumentally recorded. The 8.8 earthquake was over 100 times more powerful than the Haiti earthquake and caused more than 50 countries to issue tsunami warnings. Luckily, after the 1960 earthquake, Chile was more prepared - in fact, only about 600 people died in this quake. Though that is a large number, considering the earthquake's epicenter was around Concepcion, the second most populated city in Chile, they were really lucky.The 8.8 earthquake was over 100 times more powerful than the Haiti earthquake and caused more than 50 countries to issue tsunami warnings. There have been more than 50 aftershocks greater rated greater than 5 on the moment-magnitude scale, that all caused extensive damage. In the end, over 1.5 million people were displaced from their homes. 

 Survivor Story:  “It was terrible, terrible,” said Adela Galaz, a 59-year-old cosmetologist who said glasses and paintings fell to the floor of her 22nd-floor apart ment in Santiago, 200 miles from the quake’s center. “We are grateful to be alive.” [|Disaster Response Map]

However, in Haiti's case, over 200,000 people died from a quake that was only a 7 on the Richter scale and it occurred on January 12th, 2010. The epicenter of the earthquake was about 16 miles away form the capital – Port-au-Prince. Many buildings collapsed in the quake including the President's Palace, and the National Assembly building. Around 16,000 US troops alone have been sent to Haiti to help the survivors. The world has been raising money and sending rescue teams towards Haiti, all hoping they can rescue innocent victims. The earthquake in Haiti occurred along a strike-slip fault, which, though it usually is less destructive than other faults, still caused much damage on the surface.

Now, why was it that Chile was able to be so prepared, and Haiti wasn't?

For one, Chile was a wealthier country. They had a more stable political system and a stable economy as well, which made it so that they were able to prepare. For example, their infrastructure was earthquake safe and much more stable than Haiti's. Chile was also much more prepared -- they knew what they were doing because they had experienced five of the most devastating earthquakes in history. Something else that really helped Chile was that the Earthq

However, if you look to Haiti, they are one of the most poverty stricken countries in the Americas. They weren't prepared for the earthquake, and they weren't ready to combat it. The infrastructure was not built to stand earthquakes and in return, they lost thousands of lives. They didn't have any medical infrastructure in the first place, and many died on the streets of diseases and blood loss -- all because they couldn't afford good construction and infrastructure.

 To understand what earthquake can do to infrastructures,click [|here]