Haiti Earthquake
Resources on the Earthquake in Haiti
Information on Haiti
Haiti is located on the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Haiti has a population of about ten million people, most of who reside in the urban areas around the capital and other major cities. Haiti is ranked 149 out of 182 countries on the United Nations’ Human Development Index, which ranks countries based on literacy, gross domestic product, health ranks, and other indicators.
The island of Hispaniola is seismically active and devastating earthquakes have occurred in the past. According to the Earthquake Hazards Program, in 1946, two massive earthquakes (an 8.0 and 7.6) occurred in the Dominican Republic four days apart. These could be felt in some part of Haiti.
On January 12, 2010 at 4:53 pm local time a magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurred in Haiti. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, about three million people were affected by the quake. The quake was followed by several aftershocks that caused more damage to buildings. As Haiti is one of the most poverty-stricken countries in the Northern Hemisphere, the damage caused by the quake becomes even more devastating and the cities will be hard to rebuild.
For more information on the developments in Haiti, see the following websites:
CNN.com: Has accurate reporting about the disaster
Embassy of Haiti in Washington, DC: Contains a Crisis Map of Haiti, relief assistance, news, travel information, locating individuals, and information on candlelight vigils
MSNBC Haiti Earthquake Page: Provides news articles on the recovery of the country
United Nations News Centre: Tracks developments in the region, recovery efforts, press releases and statements made by the UN
Click here to see images of Haiti after the earthquake.
Technical information on the earthquake in Haiti can be found here. The Earthquake Hazards Program tracks major earthquakes around the world. Users can search by region, date, or magnitude.
The General Interest Publication on earthquakes from the United States Geological Survey gives historical accounts of earthquakes, where and how they happen, and how they are measured.
The IRIS Seismic Monitor displays recent earthquakes on an interactive map.
From the University of New Haven Library
Black Democracy: the story of Haiti. F1921 .D263 1967
Bug-Jargal ; Le dernier jour d’un condamneì. PQ2285 .B8 1925
Christophe, King of Haiti. F1924 .C47 1967b
Haiti: The Black Republic: the complete story and guide. F1915 .R6
Haiti and the Dominican Republic. F1901 .L6
Haiti in the balance: Why foreign aid has failed and what we can do about it. F1921 .B88 2008
Life in a Haitian valley. F1927 .H4 1964
Mountains beyond mountains. R154.F36 K53 2004
Serpent and the rainbow. BL2530.H3 D38 1985
United States occupation of Haiti, 1915-1934. F1927 .S35
Searching Databases for Additional Information
Databases are also good places to search for information on the various aspects of the earthquake in Haiti. Searching by keyword and subject will probably yield the best results. Here are some terms to get you started:
The M. K. Peterson Library subscribes to a variety of subscription databases. Here are some relevant to Haiti, listed by scope.
GENERAL
Newspapers by ProQuest. Full text coverage with images of the Hartford Courant from 1992 on and the Wall street Journal from 1982 on.
Expanded Academic ASAP from iConn. Provides access to citations and abstracts from 3,200 sources, and 2000 full text titles in both scholarly and popular journals, as well as newspapers. Subjects covered include the arts, education, history, literature, science, psychology, economics, and cultural studies.
Science Resource Center: Thousands of topic overviews, experiments, biographies, pictures and illustrations are just a few clicks away and the latest scientific developments are covered in articles from over 200 magazines and academic journals and links to quality web sites. The Science Resource Center currently has a special spotlight report on Haiti.
PSYCHOLOGY and SOCIAL SCIENCE
Health and Wellness Resource Center from iConn. Specialized database which concentrates on current medical news and information, including alternative medicine. Full-text coverage for many of the journals. Includes an online encyclopedia, Mosby’s dictionary, directories of health providers and Associations, links to web sites and government databases.
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection from EBSCOHost. Mostly full text of non-APA (American Psychological Association) journal literature from the 1970s on. Includes book reviews, conference proceedings and reports.
Coping with Disaster
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry – Talking to Children About Earthquakes and other natural disasters
American Psychological Association – Managing Your Distress About the Earthquake from Afar: An article from the website of the American Psychological Association, national professional association of psychologists
National Association of School Psychologists – The Tragedy in Haiti: Helping Children Cope: Ideas for helping all children and adolescents as well as those in the U.S. whose families have been personally impacted by the Haitian earthquake.
NYU Child Study Center – Talking to Kids About World Natural Disasters: Advice from a child psychologist at the New York Child Study Center
American Red Cross: Reputable charity that provides aid to Haiti and other victims of disaster and poverty
Charity Navigator: Give in depth information on different types of donations, reputable organizations, and tips on how to choose a charity
Clinton Bush Haiti Fund: President Bill Clinton and President George Bush partnered to help raise money for the people of Haiti to rebuild their lives
Connecticut State Website: Contains a list of reputable organizations that accept donations for Haiti
