Haiti is the first republican country in Latin America. It gained its independence in 1804 and it has the world’s first black led government. Though Haiti has a rich historical background, it is counted as one of the least developed countries in the world and it is heavily obliged to the World Bank.
Haitian geography is very diverse. From mountain ranges to coastal plains, all exist in harmony in this Caribbean island. Many selection of flora and fauna are originated there. But due to the rushed trend of modern urbanization many species have perished.
Haiti is situated near the northern boundary where the Caribbean tectonic plate shifts towards east by about 20mm per year in relation to the North American plate. This places Haiti in a very risky position, as it means that Haiti is very vulnerable to quakes, cyclones and other dire weather conditions due to the tectonic plate movements.
The worst quake to hit Haiti in about 200 hundred years was on January 12th 2010. It was of magnitude 7.0 followed by 12 aftershocks, each of magnitude greater than 5.0. It caused about 230,000 deaths, 300,000 injuries and about another 1,000,000 left homeless.
Communication methods, air, land, and sea transport facilities, hospitals, and electrical networks had been destroyed by the quake, which hampered rescue and aid efforts.
Many of the world’s countries pitched in to help Haiti back to its feet. A telethon was held and it raised about US$58 million.
With the increasing frequency of earthquakes, tsunamis and other natural disasters, Haiti was yet another unfortunate bearer of tragedy when an earthquake shook the very souls of the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. Fortunately, support from all the ends of the Earth has come to surpass this unavoidable and unimaginable event. This report intends to give an overview of Haiti, the earthquake and the aftermath.
Haiti was the first independent country in Latin America. It is the second largest island in the Greater Antilles and is situated in the western part of Hispaniola. Haiti gained its independence after a slave rebellion in 1804 and it is the first black led republican country in the world. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and is ranked 149th of 182 countries on the Human Development Index. About 225,000 Haitian children are working as unpaid household help, which is considered as a form of modern slavery. It was considered and the qualified as one of the countries which are heavily in debated to the IMF and the World Bank.
Haiti has a very diverse topography and consists mainly of mountain areas. As a result of its varied environment, there are very special native flora and fauna which are not found elsewhere. Along with the mountainous terrains are also many small coastal and valleys. Haiti used to be a very tropically lush and forest covered country until urbanization took over. As humans began cutting forests to make homes, many rare species of flora and fauna were endangered and farmlands destroyed. Forests were also lost as a result of erosion which was caused due to logging, which is done to get charcoal, the most important source of fuel to the country.
The Island of Hispaniola, shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, is seismically active and has a history of destructive earthquakes. Haiti is located near the northern boundary where the Caribbean tectonic plate shifts eastwards by about 20mm per year in relation to the North American plate. The strike-slip fault system in the region has two branches in Haiti, the Septentrional-Oriente fault in the north and the Enriquillo-Plaintain Garden fault in the south; both its location and focal mechanism suggest that the January 2010 quake was caused by a rupture of the Enriquillo-Plaintain Garden fault, which had been locked for 250 years, gathering stress. A magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck the Dominican Republic and shook Haiti on 4 August 1946, producing a tsunami that killed 1,790 people and injured many others. The Australian government's travel advisory site had previously expressed concerns that Haitian emergency services would be unable to cope in the event of a major disaster, and the country is considered "economically vulnerable" by the Food and Agriculture Organization. It is no stranger to natural disasters; in addition to earthquakes, it has been struck frequently by cyclones, which have caused flooding and widespread damage.
January 12th 2010, the 6th worst earthquake recorded in history with a magnitude of 7.0, hit less than ten miles from the capital of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The preliminary earthquake was followed by twelve aftershocks greater than magnitude 5.0. The Haitian Government reported that between 217,000 and 230,000 people had been recovered as dead, approximately 300,000 injured, and over 1,000,000 left homeless. They also projected that 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were brutally damaged, from shantytown homes to national landmarks, including the Presidential Palace, the National Assembly building and the Port-au-Prince Cathedral. Amongst those perished were Archbishop of Port-au-Prince Joseph Serge Miot and opposition leader Micha Gaillard. The headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), situated in the capital also collapsed killing the Mission's Chief, Hédi Annabi.
Numerous countries took action to appeals for humanitarian aid, transferring funds and sending rescue and medical teams, engineers and support personnel. Communication systems, air, sea, and land transport services, hospitals, and electrical networks had been damaged by the quake, which hindered rescue and aid work; uncertainty over who was in charge, air traffic overcrowding, and issues with prioritization of flights additionally complicated early relief efforts. Port-au-Prince's morgues were rapidly inundated; tens of thousands of bodies were buried in mass graves. As rescues slowed down, supplies, medical care and sanitation became the main concern. Holdups in aid circulation led to angry demands from aid workers and survivors, and various pillaging and periodic violence were observed.
Amid the extensive destruction and damage all over Port-au-Prince and elsewhere, essential infrastructure required to respond to the disaster was severely destroyed or damaged. There was substantial damage to communications infrastructure. The public telephone system was not accessible, and two of Haiti's leading cellular phone providers, Digicel and Comcel Haiti both complained that their services had been affected by the quake. According to Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF), the majority of the radio stations went off the air and merely 20 of the 50 stations in Port-au-Prince were back on air a week following the quake.
In the evenings following the quake, countless people slept in the streets, on pavements, in cars, or in temporary shanty towns either because their homes had been ruined, or they feared remaining structures would not endure aftershocks. Building standards are low in Haiti and the country has no building codes. Engineers have affirmed that it is doubtful many buildings would have stood through any sort of disaster. Structures are regularly raised anywhere they can fit; a number of buildings were constructed on hills with inadequate foundations or steel works. A spokesperson for Catholic Relief Services has projected that about two million Haitians lived as squatters on territory they did not own. The nation also suffered from deficiencies of fuel and potable water even prior to the quake.
On January 22nd, a charity telethon called Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief was held and was the most broadly circulated telethon in history. Plans for the telethon were advertised by MTV Networks three days after the 2010 Haiti quake hit. Money raised by the telethon and from the sales of its video and album, which were immediately accessible on iTunes, were spread to seven charities doing aid work in Haiti. By January 23rd, the telethon had raised over US$58 million.
Assisting refugee immigration into Canada was discussed by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and in the United States, Haitian refugees were given Temporary Protected Status which allows approximately 100,000 illegal immigrant Haitians in the country to live legally for 18 months. President Barack Obama declared that former presidents Bill Clinton who is also the UN special envoy to Haiti, and George W. Bush would help raise money for Haiti's restoration. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Haiti on January 16th to inspect the damage and confirmed that US$48 million had been raised by now in the United States to help Haiti recuperate. After the conference with Secretary Clinton, President Préval said that the highest precedence in Haiti's revival were founding a functioning government, clearing roads, and clearing the streets of corpses to ensure sanitary conditions.
Although the recent natural disaster was a tragic punishment to an already impoverished nation, the subsequent worldwide support in rebuilding Haiti could be viewed as a blessing in disguise. While Haiti was the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, with all the new investments and attention, it could very well become one of the hot-spots for international travel and tourism. The worldwide efforts made for these wonderful people will no doubt improve more aspects of everyone’s lives, though indirectly. Fortunately, Haiti was not overtaken by war and intentional killing for anyone’s gain. This makes for a peaceful reconciliation with their future. Haiti will soon be the physical paradise to match its people’s kindness.
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