In a total of 2 tidal waves classified as a tsunami since 1842 a total of 303 people died in Haiti. Tsunamis therefore occur only rarely here.
The strongest tidal wave registered in Haiti so far reached a height of 5 meters. At this Tsunami on 05/07/1842 a total of 300 people have been killed.
The marked positions on the map represent the most effected regions within the past 180 years.
Tsunamis are caused by earthquakes or other seismic eruptions on ground of an oceans and can cause massive tidal waves, which run with enormous force on land, causing great devastation. Especially in regions with only few tsunamis, the damage is often drastic, as the population does not expect tsunamis and thus hardly takes any protective measures. Even relatively small flood waves can lead to high losses and financial damage.
The largest tsunamis in Haiti since 1842
Date
Cause
max wave height
Deaths
Total damage
01/12/2010
Earthquake, landslide in Haiti (Haiti & Dominican Republic) with a magnitude of 7.0.
3.2 m
3
05/07/1842
Earthquake in Haiti (Cap-Haitian) with a magnitude of 8.1. The tsunami also reached Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic.
5 m
300
These statistics are based on datas from the National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): Global Historical Tsunami Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Several data have been summarized and translated. Foto taken from National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC, public domain).