Post-earthquake path to recovery

WFP / Alexis Masciarelli

The United Nations estimates that about 800,000 people have been affected by the earthquake.

What happened?

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake on August 14, 2021 struck the southwest of this Caribbean island nation, causing widespread devastation in predominantly rural areas. In addition to the deaths and injuries, thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed and key infrastructure including schools, hospitals, roads and bridges were destroyed, disrupting key services, transportation, agriculture and commerce. The United Nations says about 800,000 people have been affected in one way or another. It includes 300,000 children whose studies have been disrupted.

© WFP / Alexis Masciarelli

The World Food Program is ramping up food distribution in earthquake-devastated Haiti.

What was the response to the earthquake?

In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, the government moved with the support of the United Nations and others to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to those affected. The United Nations Office of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, played a central role in coordinating the response. The International Organization for Migration has provided temporary shelters for people who have lost their homes, food and other items so that people can make ends meet. The World Food Program has stepped up the provision of hot meals to schoolchildren in order to encourage children whose schools were not destroyed to continue attending classes. About 60 health facilities were also destroyed, so emergency departments were supported by the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Population Fund and UNICEF. Expectant mothers were cared for and often gave birth in tents.

Six months after the earthquake, Haiti is out of the immediate state of emergency and is now looking at long-term recovery and reconstruction. In November, the government published an assessment of how much money it needs to rebuild and recover; amounting to nearly $2 billion. Just over three-quarters of that, so about $1.5 billion will go toward revitalizing social services including housing, health, education and food security programmes. The rest will be spent on boosting agriculture, trade and industry as well as repairing major infrastructure. Spending on environmental programs has also been targeted.

United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti

The 2010 earthquake caused devastation throughout the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. (a file)

What are the lessons learned from natural disasters?

Haiti, of course, is not unfamiliar with natural disasters and lessons have been learned from the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010 that killed an estimated 220,000 people, mostly in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and surrounding areas. The main outcome of this disastrous event and the response efforts that followed was that national leadership is critical.

In 2010, the government was directly affected by the disaster and was poorly equipped and unwilling to coordinate emergency response on such a huge scale and, as a result, sided with the international community.

And Haiti must do better in introducing more robust measures to reduce disaster risk.

International Organization for Migration / Monica Chirac

Thousands of people were displaced after tens of thousands of homes collapsed or were damaged.

What other crises is Haiti facing?

The 2021 earthquake struck while Haiti was facing multiple crises of an economic, political, security, humanitarian and development nature. The country suffers from high levels of poverty and is ranked 170 out of 189 countries around the world in the 2020 Human Development Report issued by the United Nations Development Program. The economy is in tatters, not helped by the recent blockade of gasoline shipments by armed gangs that have almost brought the country to a standstill. Insecurity is spreading, including kidnapping, as gangs control many neighborhoods in the capital, Port-au-Prince. In July 2021, the president was assassinated while at home and the investigation into his death is still ongoing.

On top of all of this, Haiti faces the ongoing threat of COVID-19.

© UNICEF

Children in rural Haiti often contribute to family farming activities.

How can Haiti recover from this latest setback?

On February 16, the government is hosting an international conference in Port-au-Prince at which it hopes to raise at least $1.6 billion of the $2 billion it needs to get the country back on track after the earthquake.

Many donor countries globally are struggling with the additional financial burden that the pandemic has placed on their resources. Moreover, Haiti is, in fact, competing for funding with other crises around the world, such as Afghanistan and the Ethiopian region, Tigray. One of the trump cards in Haiti may be the huge diaspora, especially in the United States, which will hopefully contribute to the fundraising effort. US-based charities are also targeted.

The international community in Haiti warns that if the country does not get the support it needs, its recovery, development and ability to withstand other natural disasters will be negatively affected.

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