IP/10/25
Brussels, 15 January 2010
European Commission supports relief efforts in Haïti
with first damage assessment: facts and maps
More than 4000 physical structures were destroyed or damaged in Port-auPrince, Haiti, by the magnitude 7 earthquake that struck the country on 12th
January 2010. About 2000 residential buildings have partially or totally
collapsed and the same number of buildings shows severe damage. A
number of critical infrastructures such as government buildings, educational
structures and hospitals have collapsed or are severely damaged. These are
the preliminary findings of a rapid damage assessment carried out by the
European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) based on the analysis
of very high resolution satellite imagery acquired before and after the
disaster. Rapid damage assessment provides valuable information in order
to effectively plan relief and assistance measures, as well as for subsequent
reconstruction and recovery planning efforts.
The analysis of pre and post-disaster satellite images shows the following
preliminary results:
Building Type
Single house units
(typically detached
residential units with 1 or 2
floors housing 1 or 2
families)
Apartment blocks with more
than 2 floors
Apartment blocks with more
than 5 floors
Industrial/Commercial
(buildings with an apparent
industrial/commercial
function (e.g. factories,
warehouses)
Government/Service
(buildings with an apparent
government/public service
function (e.g.
administration, library,
cultural)
Educational structures
Destroyed
(severe damage to
the building,
usually partial or
total collapse)
Damaged
(partial damage to
the building, but
the structure has
not collapsed)
1118
969
749
990
58
48
169
163
11
5
11
9
(schools, universities)
Religious places
(Churches)
Hospitals
Hotels
Roads
Bridges
2
5
3
7
3
0
2131
0
3
13
0
2205
It is very likely that the damages currently identified in this analysis underestimate
the actual building and infrastructure damages present on the ground, as damages
to the internal structures are not detectable from satellite images.
The analysis suggests that the damage is concentrated in the metropolitan Port au
Prince area, including the village Carrefour (Figure 1). Damage to residential
buildings in the Carrefour area is concentrated in steep hilly terrain. There is
evidence of landslides and unstable slopes in these areas, which is a cause for
concern in the next rain period. Although roads and, especially, bridges have been
found to be largely intact, they can be disrupted due to the rubble that has gathered
over the road surface from the destroyed structures.
Background information
The damage assessment of Port-au-Prince was undertaken on the basis of
analysing pre- and post-disaster very high resolution satellite imagery.
The JRC has been supporting the European Commission's services in coordinating
a response from the EU, by issuing early warning alerts and delivering updated
situation maps. The Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS), a
web-based platform developed by the JRC and the United Nations, detected the first
shock after 18 minutes and issued a red alert to 8500 users, mainly aid and first
response organisations.
Sources
Post-disaster Geoeye satellite imagery (50cm Resolution) acquired on 13 January
2010.
Pre-disaster QUICKBIRD satellite imagery (60-70cm resolution) acquired 20062009.
JRC scientists have interpreted these pre and post disaster satellite data and
manually counted and classified damages based on visual interpretation of the
images.
Find more on JRC's website:
www.jrc.ec.europa.eu/haiti
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ANNEX
Figure 1. Satellite data based Damage Assessment Port-au-Prince, 13 January 2010
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Figure 2. Detailed Satellite data based Damage Assessment for central Port-au-Prince, 13 January 2010
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