What happened after the earthquake happened in Haiti?

Answer 1

Immediate Scene

Because Haiti's buildings were/are mostly mud with no rebar to make reinforced walls, buildings began to crumble almost immediately. Some "pancaked" while others simply fell apart. Few homes, apartment buildings, or businesses were spared. Street after street looked like a bombed town.

Untold numbers of Haitians were trapped under the debris---whether hours or days. Obviously, injuries were high. Many people had "crush injuries", in which bones in the limbs or chest are crushed. Many people who survived crush injuries had to have one or both limbs amputated. Head injuries were also common, but most were fatal; Haiti simply lacked medical resources to keep trauma victims alive.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/What_happened_when_the_earthquake_struck_in_Haiti#ixzz1CVjRfjFP

Comment There has recently been studied the close relationship between a society's corruption and the severity of earthquake damage. If you have poorly paid civil servants (building inspectors etc) then it is so easy to offer a bribe of several month's salary.

This is taken to an extreme in some countries, where the Police for example have no pay at all, just a uniform. And they extract a tax from all passing traffic.

So if you are to have good building standards actually enforced, have a decent pay for the inspectors.