Essay On Haiti Earthquake

Prior to the year 2010, Haiti was ranked by the UN Human Development Index as the most under-developed country in the Western Hemisphere and 145th out of 169 countries worldwide. An estimated 10,000 Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) operated in Haiti over an area of 10,750 square miles – almost 1 NGO per square mile – as the result of a series of severe hurricanes that destroyed over 60% of Haiti’s crops in 2008. Foreign food aid poured in, much to the detriment of Haiti’s already weakened agricultural sector. Despite a pronounced international presence, which earned Haiti the nickname, the “Republic of NGOs,” over 70% of the population of Haiti survived on the equivalent of $2.00 USD a day or less. Haiti’s political, cultural, industrial, and financial capital, Port-au-Prince, was home to approximately 2.5 million people, 86% of whom lived in unfit housing. The Republic of Haiti, in short, was hardly prepared to serve as the location for the Western Hemisphere’s worst disaster in recorded history.

At 1653 hours UTC-5 on January 12th, 2010, Haiti experienced its first damaging earthquake since 1770 – a 7.3 magnitude earthquake centered around 10 miles from its capital city, Port-au-Prince. Within 35 seconds, approximately 230,000 people had lost their lives, and another 300,000 were injured. Called the “Goudougoudou,” or “Event,” by local Haitians who find comfort in referring to it only indirectly, the earthquake left 2.3 million Haitians homeless, and spurred the evacuation of some 570,000 Haitian citizens from the capital. Around 1000 additional NGOs established a presence in Haiti following the earthquake, and the international aid budget grew to over four times Haiti’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Total damage was estim...

... middle of paper ...

...e University of California – San Francisco who was recently included in Buzzfeed’s list of “Unsung Heroes Who Will Inspire You to be a Better Person.” Haiti has the most Tuberculosis cases of any country in Latin America, and until Dr. Coffee, there were no inpatient Tuberculosis wards in Haiti; the largest hospital in Port-au-Prince only offered out-patient services. Dr. Coffee has served more than 1000 people since the earthquake. Haiti Communitere has helped by providing storage for medical supplies, a filtration system to disinfect the air within the clinic, and access to supplies.

Haiti Communitere has many things planned for the rest of 2014, including several research project opportunities for college students. Communitere has become increasingly focused on defining their “model,” and the lessons that can be learned from it and applied to other situations.