StEER: M7.2 Nippes, Haiti Earthquake Preliminary Virtual Reconnaissance Report (PVRR) in StEER - 14 August 2021, M7.2 Nippes Earthquake, Haiti

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake with epicenter coordinates 18.408°N 73.475°W and a depth of 10 km struck 13 km SSE of Petit Trou de Nippes in Haiti at approximately 8:29 am local time, affecting a wide swath of the Tiburon Peninsula, including the Departments of Nippes, Sud, and Grand’Anse. This earthquake resulted from an oblique reverse motion along the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone, 75 km west of the 2010 Mw 7.0 earthquake epicenter. In addition to widespread destruction in the Nippes Department, the earthquake affected major city centers on the north and south coasts (Jeremie and Les Cayes, respectively), both still recovering from 2016’s Hurricane Matthew. With hundreds of aftershocks in the weeks that followed, collapses and significant damage to the built environment continues to mount. As of August 22, 2021, Haiti's Civil Protection Agency reported 2,207 deaths with 344 still missing. Another 12,268 were injured. Nearly 61,000 homes have been destroyed and more than 76,000 have sustained damages in the three most affected departments. An initial rapid assessment found that 24 health facilities have been affected in the Sud, Nippes and Grand’Anse Departments. Religious institutions, which provide worship, education, and healthcare in many communities, were also significantly impacted. With the 14 August 2021 earthquake and its subsequent aftershocks affecting three departments of Haiti, the geographic expanse and intensity of this event are actually greater than the 2010 earthquake, exposing a more diverse cross-section of regional construction practices to strong shaking. This resulted in StEER initiating a Tier 3 response. This project encompasses the products of StEER's response to this event: Preliminary Virtual Reconnaissance Report (PVRR), Early Access Reconnaissance Report (EARR), and Curated Dataset. The first product of StEER’s Tier 3 response to the M7.2 Nippes, Haiti Earthquake is this Preliminary Virtual Reconnaissance Report (PVRR), which is intended to: (1) provide an overview of the 2021 Haiti Earthquake, particularly relating to the impact of the earthquake on regions still recovering from a major hurricane, (2) assemble information on the seismic hazard and intensity of ground motions, (3) provide an overview of Haitian regulatory environment and construction practices, (4) summarize the preliminary reports of damage to buildings and other infrastructure, including disruption to the community in terms of fatalities and economic losses, (5) establish current conditions in the affected area with respect to access, and (6) provide recommendations to inform the continued study of this event by the natural hazards engineering reconnaissance community. As the product of entirely virtual reconnaissance, the PVRR is not based upon detailed field investigations by StEER.