timeline of rescue efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake of 12 January 2010 involves the sequence of events in the days following a highly destructive 7.0 Mw earthquake with an epicenter west of the nation 's capital , Port-au-Prince . With at least 70 % of the city 's buildings destroyed , the earthquake also caused damage and loss of life in other parts of the country . The Haitian government experienced a near-collapse and affected people were left mostly to their own resources until foreign aid arrived in the following days . Initial death toll estimates ranged between 50,000 and 200,000
2010 Haiti earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
Timeline of relief efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake