On This Day: Earthquake devastates Haiti. In 2023, Haiti "trapped in living nightmare" - Jan 12, 2010
(edited from Wikipedia)
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The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake that struck Haiti at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest department, approximately 16 mi west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital.
By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks measuring 4.5 or greater had been recorded. An estimated three million people were affected by the quake. Death toll estimates range from 100,000 to about 160,000 to Haitian government figures from 220,000 to 316,000, although these latter figures are a matter of some dispute. The government of Haiti estimated that 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged. The nation's history of national debt, prejudicial trade policies by other countries, and foreign intervention into national affairs contributed to the existing poverty and poor housing conditions that increased the death toll from the disaster.
The earthquake caused major damage in Port-au-Prince, Jacmel and other cities in the region. Notable landmark buildings were significantly damaged or destroyed, including the Presidential Palace, the National Assembly building, the Port-au-Prince Cathedral, and the main jail. Among those killed 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), located in the capital, collapsed, killing many, including the Mission's Chief, Hédi Annabi.
Many countries responded to appeals for humanitarian aid, pledging funds and dispatching rescue and medical teams, engineers and support personnel. The most-watched telethon in history aired on 22 January, called "Hope for Haiti Now," raising US$58 million by the next day. Communication systems, air, land, and sea transport facilities, hospitals, and electrical networks had been damaged by the earthquake, which hampered rescue and aid efforts; confusion over who was in charge, air traffic congestion, and problems with prioritising flights further complicated early relief work. Port-au-Prince's morgues were overwhelmed with tens of thousands of bodies. These had to be buried in mass graves.
As rescues tailed off, supplies, medical care and sanitation became priorities. Delays in aid distribution led to angry appeals from aid workers and survivors, and looting and sporadic violence were observed. On 22 January, the United Nations noted that the emergency phase of the relief operation was drawing to a close, and on the following day, the Haitian government officially called off the search for survivors.
Conditions in the aftermath
In the nights following the earthquake, many people in Haiti slept in the streets, on pavements, in their cars, or in makeshift shanty towns either because their houses had been destroyed, or they feared standing structures would not withstand aftershocks. Construction standards are low in Haiti; the country has no building codes. Engineers have stated that it is unlikely many buildings would have stood through any kind of disaster. Structures are often raised wherever they can fit; some buildings were built on slopes with insufficient foundations or steel supports. A representative of Catholic Relief Services has estimated that about two million Haitians lived as squatters on land they did not own. The country also suffered from shortages of fuel and potable water even before the disaster.
Casualities
The most reliable academic estimate of the number of earthquake casualties in Haiti (over 95% were in the immediate Port-au-Prince area) "within six weeks of the earthquake" appears to be the 160,000 estimate in a 2010 University of Michigan study.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Haiti_earthquake
(edited from United Nations Information Center News)
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Haiti’s harrowing humanitarian crisis remains at the top of the United Nations’ agenda
Washington, DC, 20 July 2023
Citizens, in the meantime, are “trapped in a living nightmare,” Secretary-General Guterres said following his visit to Port-au-Prince on 1 July. “I have heard appalling accounts of women and girls being gang-raped and of people being burned alive.” Speaking to reporters in the capital he said, “Every day counts. If we do not act now, instability and violence will have a lasting impact on generations of Haitians.”
At a summit of regional leaders, Guterres expressed solidarity with the Haitian people who are “facing a terrible and mutually reinforcing cycle” of crises. “I condemn in the strongest possible terms the widespread sexual violence which the armed gangs have used as a weapon to instill fear,” he said, calling on the entire international community to urgently “put the victims and the civilian population at the center of our concerns and priorities.”
The humanitarian and political crisis in Haiti continues to deteriorate. The World Food Program announced cuts in food assistance to some 100,000 Haitians at a time when nearly half of the nation’s population, 4.9 million people, are going hungry. Three million children are in desperate need, UNICEF reported, but only 23 per cent of the humanitarian appeal has been funded. The result is children are “being forced to join armed groups for protection” because “it means food and income for the family.” Speaking to reporters after her visit, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, who is also the Un Principal Advocate for Haitidetailed shocking accounts of violence from some of its victims. “The world is failing Haiti. . . . Haitians and our team there tell me it’s never been worse,”.
William O’Neill, the UN Independent Expert on the situation of Human Rights in Haiti, also underscored a broad range of concerns, describing the nation as a “country bruised by violence, misery, fear, and suffering.” In a recent statement, he voiced particular concern about “reports received regarding the trafficking of migrant children and women, including allegations of organ trafficking and human trafficking for sexual purposes.” The situation is becoming more and more severe, he said: “The survival of an entire nation is at stake."
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https://www.un.org/en/information-center-washington/haiti%E2%80%99s-harrowing-humanitarian-crisis-remains-top-united-nations%E2%80%99
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