As the death toll in the Haitian earthquake passes 230,000, tens of thousands more remain in peril because of inadequate housing.
But now, the U.S. government has released a detailed seismic map of exactly how the ground moved during that quake.
Why that's so important in re-building Haiti was the topic of a gathering last night in Coral Gables at the University of Miami, sponsored by the U.S. State Department and other federal agencies.
These seismic maps show the ground moved up and over 7 to 10 feet, depending how close you were to the fault line, which sliced just south of Port-au-Prince.
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These maps will help define what will keep more Haitians alive when the next disaster hits: building codes.
After the unspeakable loss of life in the Haiti quake, the realization set in about the tangible Haiti: the buildings.
Assessment teams report 65% of all buildings in the country are collapsed or critically damaged, 13 of the 15 government buildings, half the schools, 30,000 businesses, and a quarter million homes.
How to re-build a Haiti that can resist the next quake? It will not be easy, according to experts who've just returned.
"There are a lot of structures,” said Reginald DesRoches, a Haitian-born engineering professor from Georgia Tech, “Certainly hundreds of thousands of structures – that have either very slight damage or weren’t damaged at all, yet likely are not safe for the next earthquake which will happen. It's just a matter of time."
In the Chilean quake -- vastly more powerful -- the loss of life was profoundly less because of building codes. As the international community prepares to spend $15-20 billion, building codes to withstand natural hazards - quakes, hurricanes, floods - will be a requirement. But more so, said experts, a culture shift is needed toward embracing better building standards.
"How do you bring that on the table,” said Eric Calais, a Purdue University earthquake expert, “and make sure that there is a drastic change in earthquake natural hazards culture in Haiti to me is a challenge - perhaps more so than the $15-20 billion that eventually will be found."
There was concern that reconstruction is not starting fast enough: after all, 1.3 million remain homeless as the rainy season looms. that's why these seismic maps are so important. A conference of donors will meet March 31 at the United Nations, starting the flow of long-term reconstruction money.
