The earthquake struck at 4:53 pm local time with an epicentre near Léogâne, about 25 kilometres from Port-au-Prince. Magnitude 7.0 is moderate by global standards; the catastrophe came from shallow depth, dense urban population and construction almost entirely without seismic reinforcement.
The Presidential Palace, parliament, the main cathedral and much of the government's administrative capacity collapsed along with hundreds of thousands of homes. An estimated 1.5 million people were displaced into camps, and a cholera outbreak that began later in the year went on to kill thousands more.
Death toll estimates diverge sharply — from around 160,000 in independent surveys to 316,000 in official Haitian figures — a reminder that in the worst disasters even the basic count becomes contested. Reconstruction was slow, and the earthquake remains a reference case in debates about disaster aid effectiveness.
Why this event still matters
Historical incidents shape the rules that protect people today — building codes, evacuation policy, warning systems and inspection regimes almost always trace back to a specific disaster. Studying Haiti Earthquake alongside current events is how preparedness improves.
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