Reconnaissance Following the August 14, 2021 Haiti Earthquake: Perspectives from Geotechnical Engineering and Social/Political Sciences
Summary — This report presents preliminary findings from a reconnaissance effort following the August 14, 2021, Mw7.2 earthquake in Nippes, Haiti. The interdisciplinary team investigated geotechnical and social/political effects, focusing on ground shaking, landslides, liquefaction, infrastructure damage, and the impact of multiple crises on vulnerability.
Key Findings
- The Mw7.2 Nippes earthquake occurred on the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone.
- Geotechnical hazards observed included ground failure along the fault, seismic slope instability and landslides, liquefaction and cyclic softening, and damage to infrastructure.
- Simultaneous hazards and crises in Haiti, including natural hazards, governance challenges, and security challenges, affected vulnerability.
Full Description
This report summarizes the preliminary findings of a collaborative, interdisciplinary effort to investigate the geotechnical and social/political effects of the August 14th, 2021 M7.2 Nippes earthquake in Haiti. Due to security challenges, a remote GEER (Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance) team was mobilized from the U.S., later partnering with local academics and engineers. Data was collected on ground shaking characteristics, seismically induced landslides, surface fault ruptures, liquefaction effects, seismic damage to infrastructure, the social/economical/political context of the disaster, and the impact of multiple crises on vulnerability. The goal is to summarize preliminary findings and set the ground for future, more comprehensive investigations of the earthquake and other future hazards in Haiti.