A tale of two huge quakes, and why Haiti's was worse

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The earthquake in Chile was far stronger than the one that struck Haiti last month, yet the death toll in Haiti was magnitudes higher.

The reasons are simple.

Chile is wealthier and infinitely better prepared, with strict building codes, robust emergency response and a long history of handling seismic catastrophes. No living Haitian had experienced a quake at home when the Jan. 12 disaster crumbled the nation's poorly constructed buildings.

And, Chile was relatively lucky.

Saturday's quake was centered offshore about 22 miles underground adjacent to a relatively unpopulated area, while Haiti's tectonic mayhem struck closer to the surface — about 8 miles — and right on the edge of the capital, Port-au-Prince, factors that increased its destructiveness.

"Earthquakes don't kill — they don't create damage — if there's nothing to damage," said Eric Calais, a Purdue University geophysicist studying the Haiti quake.

The U.S. Geological Survey said eight Haitian cities and towns — including the capital of 3 million — suffered "violent" to "extreme" shaking in last month's 7-magnitude quake, which Haiti's government estimates killed some 220,000 people and left about 1.2 million homeless. Chile's death toll as of late Saturday was in the hundreds.

By contrast, no Chilean urban area suffered more than "severe" shaking — the third most serious level — Saturday in its 8.8-magnitude disaster. The quake was centered 200 miles away from Chile's capital and largest city, Santiago.

In terms of energy released at the epicenter, Calais said, the Chilean quake was 501 times stronger. But energy dissipates rather quickly as distances grow from epicenters — and the ground beneath Port-au-Prince is less stable by comparison and "shakes like jelly," said University of Miami geologist Tim Dixon.

Survivors of Haiti's quake described abject panic, much of it well-founded as buildings collapsed around them. Many Haitians grabbed cement pillars only to watch them crumble in their hands. Haitians were not schooled in how to react: by sheltering under tables and door frames, and away from glass windows.

Chileans, on the other hand, have homes and offices built to ride out quakes, their steel skeletons designed to sway with seismic waves rather than resist them.

"When you look at the architecture in Chile, you see buildings that have damage, but not the complete pancaking that you've got in Haiti," said Cameron Sinclair, executive director of Architecture for Humanity, a nonprofit that helps people rebuild after disasters.

Sinclair said he has architect colleagues in Chile who have built thousands of low-income housing structures to be earthquake-resistant.

In Haiti, there is no building code.

Sinclair's San Francisco-based organization received 400 requests for help the day after the Haiti quake, but he said it had yet to receive a single request Saturday for help for Chile.

"On a per-capita basis, Chile has more world-renowned seismologists and earthquake engineers than anywhere else," said Brian Tucker, president of GeoHazards International, a nonprofit organization.

"The fact that the president (Michelle Bachelet) was out giving minute-to-minute reports a few hours after the quake in the middle of the night gives you an indication of their disaster response," Sinclair said.

Most Haitians didn't know whether their president, René Préval, was alive or dead for at least a day after their quake. The National Palace and his residence — like most government buildings — had collapsed.

Calais, the geologist, noted that frequent seismic activity is as common to Chile as it is to the rest of the Andean ridge.

"It's quite likely that every person there has felt a major earthquake in their lifetime," he said, "whereas the last one to hit Port-au-Prince was 250 years ago."

On Port-au-Prince's streets Saturday, many people had not heard of Chile's quake. More than 500,000 remain homeless in Haiti. Most still lack electricity and are preoccupied with trying to get enough to eat.

Fanfan Bozot, 32, a reggae singer having lunch with a friend, could only shake his head at his government's reliance on international relief to distribute food and water.

"Chile has a responsible government," he said, waving his hand in disgust. "Our government is incompetent."