A common theme among natural disasters of any type is that the impact they have on affected regions is not limited to only the duration of the event. In fact, the period following these disasters can lead to even more devastation, death, and health problems among a population. This is especially true for developing countries, where poorly constructed buildings, poor sanitation, high or dense population, and limited resources for disaster response and recovery all may contribute to worsening conditions and hamper recovery following the passage of a natural disaster (“The Devastating Impact”, 2013). A prime example of this is highlighted in the events following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, in which hundreds of thousands of people perished even …show more content…
As a result, unsanitary and crowded conditions prevailed in the region, causing the spread of disease and the appearance of tent settlements to house survivors, many of which are still up today. Several months after the earthquake, the Artibonite River became contaminated with fecal matter and other pollutants that carried cholera bacteria. The river was major source of drinking water for Haiti and through ingestion of the water and close contact in the densely populated area, cholera quickly spread, infecting nearly 730,000 people and becoming fatal in approximately 8,900 of those cases in the next five years (Pallardy, n.d). The Haiti earthquake is just one testament to how crippling a natural disaster can be for a developing country that is unprepared and lacks the infrastructure necessary to recover quickly and to prevent worsening conditions in the long …show more content…
Solar energy was the first and most obvious green resource that was explored to disinfect water, as it is a free and completely renewable resource. Upon completing further research, it was found that solar energy can be implemented on small or large scales to purify and distill water for drinking, bathing, and other uses by using the method of evaporation. Distilling water through evaporation removes contaminants such as salts, disease-causing microorganisms and viruses, and other larger pollutant particles (“Water Treatment Alternatives”, n.d). This method can be implemented in a closed system, in which an enclosure made out of wood or other materials is created around a container holding contaminated water. The box would be lined on the inside with any reflective material and painted black on the outside to increase the absorption of solar radiation. A piece of glass would be placed on top of the enclosure to allow sunlight to be directed into the enclosure so the contaminated water heats up (DeGunther, n.d). As the water evaporates inside the enclosure, it would gradually condense as droplets on the top of the glass and roll down into a gutter catchment area where the distilled water would then travel into a sealed storage
Earthquakes in California are certainly not a surprise. What is a surprise is their unpredictability and randomness. Geologists say there is roughly a 50 percent chance that a magnitude 8 or more quake will hit the Los Angeles area sometime over the next 30 years. And, over the past twenty years, the Los Angeles area has witnessed several earthquakes, and in particular, two that were quite devastating; the 1971 San Fernando earthquake, and the January 17, 1994, Northridge Earthquake. Given the certainty that earthquakes will occur, they still seem to come as a surprise, and leave many communities unprepared to deal with their aftermath.
The Haitian government’s lack of preparedness for earthquakes despite the fact that earthquakes are common to the region is indicative of the governments inability and lack of resources to properly plan and protect it’s population against natural disasters. This lack of preparedness is not an isolated incident. Prior to the disaster, the World Bank and others were working with the Haitian government to incorporate disaster risk management into Haiti’s development strategy and to develop its capacity for disaster response. This capacity building was in its early stages of development when the earthquake hit, on January 12, 2010, and was mainly focused on hurricanes, which are the most common cause of natural disaster on the island (Margesson, 2010, p. 4).
Haiti is the unequivocally the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, indeed, the country is so poor that its citizen cannot even afford eating foods and Haitian children need to eat dirts to stay alive. [1] Nevertheless, Haiti is the home to the only successful slave rebellion; Toussaint Louverture, last governor of French Saint-Domingue, was born a slave.
An earthquake of magnitude 7.0 hit the island of Haiti on January 12, 2010, killing anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000 people, injuring another 300,000 others, and leaving over 1.5 million without homes (Fleddermann, 2012, p.116). The majority of the destruction and human toll occurred in Port au Prince, the capital city of Haiti, although the effects of the earthquake were spread throughout the island. Aside from the many people who died, were injured, or left homeless, those involved in this disaster are the Haitian government, the United Nations, civil engineers, the press, relief organizations, and the United States. Although initially perceived as simply a natural disaster, it becomes apparent through further research that the degree of loss experienced might have been lessened if certain procedures and codes were in place and followed to increase the safety and integrity of the buildings in Haiti.
The effects caused by earthquakes are devastating. They cause loss of human life and have effects on infrastructure and economy. Earthquakes can happen at any time anywhere. In January 12, 2010 an earthquake of a magnitude of 7.0 hit the nation of Haiti. An estimation of 316,000 people were killed, and more than 1.3 million Haitians were left homeless (Earthquake Information for 2010). Haiti was in a terrified chaos. After the earthquake, families were separated because many of the members were killed. Homes, schools, and hospitals were demolished. People lost their most valuable belongings. It will take time for the country to recover from this terrible disaster. The long damages are economic issues, health-state, and environmental issues that effect in the beautiful island of Haiti.
The story of Haiti’s healthcare system is unfortunately tied all too closely to disaster, both man-made and nature-born. This paper will briefly discuss the pre-2010 earthquake healthcare environment in Haiti as the uncertainty that exists provides little opportunity to provide a reasoned understanding of its current national healthcare status.
Haiti is home to about 9.8 million people. Two million people live in Port-au-Prince, which is not only the most populated city, it is also the capital. The city was established in 1749 and did not grow very rapidly because of earthquakes. Half of the nation’s capital lives in poverty. They have no or rarely any access to safe drinking water or electricity and there is hardly any sanitation. Out of all the Americas, the two largest slums are right in this city. The other half of the city lives in an urban area. It has attractions for tourists and has many hotels. Port-au-Prince also has many industries. A few of these include textile, clothing, footwear, food, and consumer goods. Port-au-Prince, being the most populated city in Haiti, also holds a lo...
Haiti suffered enormously from the cholera epidemic that was believed to come from the Nepalese UN peacekeeping soldiers (Katz, 2013). Volunteer health care providers were losing people from not having simple supplies such as vaccines and blood. Death also occurred within the Haitian people because of the irresponsibility of volunteer health care works as critical patients were left alone, Katz (2013) described this as another “stupid
Assignment 01: Critical Reading Reflection The article “Haiti’s Disasters: Natural and Man-Made” explores the impacts of Natural and Man-Made disasters on Haiti. Some key themes discussed includes the effects on the general population, past occurrences of such disasters and the assistance from other countries. These brings focus to the issue of how the support for Haiti is carried out by other countries and how it can be improved.
Disaster can have varying physical, social and political impacts across the affected population. The physical impact largely includes the causalities of human lives and damages of the properties, animals and crops. Likewise, the social impact includes psychological, socioeconomic, demographic and political factors. In this, the psychological factor causes negative psychological responses (Gerrity and Flynn, 1997) and also the positive impact as evident in the increased family and social bonding at household and community level. In terms of economic impact, it is likely to reduce household income in general and worsen poverty among poor households in particular.
Introduction Whenever a disaster occurs, the international community, such as states and international organizations, has always responded by sending various forms of humanitarian aid. Emergency assistance has been provided not only in the form of food, clothing and medicine, but also in the form of manpower; experts and project coordinators from many international humanitarian organizations hoped to be able to help people in an affected area. However, every humanitarian aid endeavor that has been dispersed has not always been successful. According to the World Bank (2008), this failed international humanitarian response can be identified in the large amount of aid that has been given out by the international community that was not in accordance
Worldwide Earthquakes (30 November – 6 December 2014) Earthquakes are the result of plate tectonics, or shifting plates in the crust of Earth. The quakes occur when the frictional stress of gliding plate boundaries builds and causes failure at a fault line. In an earthquake, energy is released as seismic waves (Lutgens & Tarbuck, 2010). The observation on the activity of earthquakes for a one week period starting 30 November - 6 December 2014. There was only one earthquake over 6.0 in the week reviewed.
In order to adequately discuss Cholera's impact on Zambia, Africa I will be providing an overview of the disease, discussing it's etiology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, and finally its prevention and treatment.
It was a beautiful day like any other with the clear blue sky and the
Asano, T., Burton, F., Leverenz, H., Tsuchihashi, R., Tchobanoglous, G. (2007). Water Reuse: Issues, Technologies, and Applications. New York: McGraw-Hill