Stanford professor compares energy from Haiti earthquake to a nuclear blast (w/ Video)

(PhysOrg.com) -- Anne Kiremidjian, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford, predicts that it could take Haiti 10 years to recover from the earthquake that devastated the island nation.

The island nation of Haiti was devastated by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck on Jan. 12, 2010. One Haitian official told CNN that the capital, Port-au-Prince, "is flattened." Thousands of structures ranging from the Haitian National Palace to hospitals and homes stand in ruins.

Stanford University researchers study earthquakes, how they damage buildings and how buildings can be designed to resist the violent shaking seen in the Haitian tragedy.

In this video, Anne Kiremidjian, professor of civil and environmental engineering, explains why so many buildings collapsed in Haiti.