Why did Haiti suffer more than Kobe as a result of an earthquake?
Both the Kobe earthquake (1995, in Japan) and Haiti earthquake (2010) measured about 7.0 on the Richter scale, but the casualty rate of Haiti earthquake was at least five times more deadly than the Kobe earthquake that killed 6,434 people. The main reason that Kobe didn’t suffer as much as Haiti is because Kobe is in Japan, which is an MEDC, Japan can afford many expensive resources, which Haiti cannot afford because it is a Less Economically Developed Country (LEDC).
Haiti’s strength is in its culture. In Haiti, the banks have proven to be the fasted growing industry. It has many weaknesses including its government, economical situation and infrastructure. The Haitian government is one of the biggest obstacles for economic growth. Over the past ten years, Haiti has experienced a decrease of success in its public office. After years of dictatorship and military rule, the Haitian people were relieved when Aristide's party won Haiti's first free elections. The relief turned into distress when the government proved to be more like a dictatorship. Haiti’s economy has been slowly dropping since the 1980’s, with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) falling two percent a year from 1980-1991. Haiti's physical infrastructure is poor - roads are insufficient, and basic services such as power and telephones are frequently unavailable. The country also lacks a railroad system, making the shipping of goods around the land a tedious and dangerous job.
