"earthquakes don't kill people, buildings do.

"

Although you cant control the seismic hazard in the

community where you live or work, you can influence
the most important factor in saving lives and reducing
losses from an earthquake: the adoption and
enforcement of up-to-date building codes, thats what
results into the contrast between Haiti and Chile in the
number of deaths and damages

Some observations:

Before the earthquake, half of Haitis population of 10

million lived in densely populated urban areas, including
one in four Haitians residing in Port-au-Prince. This
population density around the earthquakes epicenter
meant that an incredible half of the countrys residents were
directly impacted by the quake.

Unlike in other countries located on or near fault lines, very

few of Haitis buildings were constructed for earthquake
resistance.buildings were not going to survive even a
[magnitude] 2 earthquake

Structures were built on slopes without proper foundations or

containment structures, using improper building practices,
insufficient steel and insufficient attention to development
control.

There is a deficit of licensed contractors, engineers and

architects contributed to a structural environment ripe for
disaster.

Along with hundreds of thousands of homes, all but one

government building was destroyed by the quake, as well as
with 60% of the countrys hospitals, and 80% of its schools.
 An earthquake-resistant building costs 10-20% more to
build than an unsound structure. For the millions of Haitians
living on less than $2 a day, these added costs made safe
construction an unaffordable luxury. The walls of 90% of
Haitian buildings are constructed with either cement, earth,
clisse (sticks, twigs and branches), bricks or stone.
Contractors and builders often cut corners in construction,
reducing costs by using easily available building materials
such as limestone dust and unrefined sand, which produce a
cheaper but weaker concrete. =>Cost as an issue

Disregard for building codes, neglecting to get permits,

ignoring government inspectors - who have too little power
to be effective - all are common practices in Haiti.

Most important problem: policy (the major barrier)

Problem definition:
Unfortunately, says engineer Charles, the populations attitude
towards construction hasnt changed much. Building is happening
without regard for existing standards, despite measures of control
that are in place and a radio awareness campaign. People still
want to do construction their way, without restriction or input
from the government.

Could townships be more effective if they had more resources?

Could buildings be safer if codes were enforced? Probably, but no
one will know until the next major seismic activity, at which point
it may be too late. Again.

Chile:

Its an evolving process, he said. Every time

theres a new earthquake we learn something and
we start modifying our code.
Chile has been decimated by earthquakes before.

In fact, the most powerful earthquake ever recorded

was a 9.5 in 1960 in close proximity to the epicenter
of Saturdays quake.

Chile has worked hard to prepare and protect against

others using building codes which are recognized as
some of the best in the world, and the country has
implemented many quake-resistant building
techniques to stem future disasters.

Since the 1960s, seismic codes have been enforced

for all new construction based on what they call the
strong columns weak beam system

The idea is that buildings are held up by reinforced

concrete columns, which are strengthened by a steel
frame. Reinforced concrete beams are joined onto
the columns to make floors and the roof. If there is an
earthquake, the idea is that the concrete on the
beams should break near the end, which dissipates a
lot of the energy of the earthquake, but that the steel
reinforcement should survive and the columns should
stay standing, which means the building will stay
upright.

The point really is that preparedness through

planning, creation of adequate building codes,
designing for disaster and enforcement of those
codes makes an incredibly significant impact.
 Pace of World Vision US aid
To Haiti: $3.9 million in first 48 hours, or $81,250 per hour
To Chile: $220,000 in first 48 hours, or $4,583 per hour

Its more about changing the whole culture of building

Changes required:
So now we need to work with the Haitian authorities to develop
a building code that is suited to Haiti and its peculiar
conditions." Those peculiarities include its location on a fault
line and in the path of hurricanes.
Country must work with the private sector and the banking
sector to devise a low-income building ethic for Haiti
"Schools, hospitals, all government facilities should be safe so
that, in the event of catastrophes like these, these buildings can
withstand these things so there can be some continuity in the
operations of government and the private sector,"
Volunteers to educate children/people
Volunteers and engineers to teach workers

Policy enforcement in other countries :

[1] http://www3.cec.org/islandora-
gb/islandora/object/islandora:1213/datastream/OBJ-EN/view