August 14, 2021 Tsunami: Port-Au-Prince, Haiti
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake began at Port-Au-Prince, Haiti on August 14, 2021 at 12:29:08 UTC. Its effects were recorded at 3 places in at least 2 countries. It killed 2,248 people, counting the earthquake or eruption that caused it.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
The tsunami
- Date
- August 14, 2021, 12:29:08 UTC
- Source
- Port-Au-Prince, Haiti
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.2, 10 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 3
- Warning
- Regional Tsunami Warning issued by PTWC for areas without a warning system
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 18.408° N, 73.475° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 2,248 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Missing
- 329 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- 12,763 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- $1.6 billion with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- 53,815 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses damaged
- 83,770 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port-Au-Prince | Haiti | 116 | 0.02 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Isla Mujeres | Mexico | 1,421 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Puerto Morelos | Mexico | 1,430 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 2021The 2000sTsunamis of HaitiThe earthquakeThis day in weather historyAlerts in force
Sources
Tsunami events and runups from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI tsunami event 5803.