Impacts

This is an important issue that needs to be address with the utmost attention. I chose this topic because I have a friend who is from Haiti and I know his struggles. He is constantly sending money to help his family that is still there. We all should hope for a bright future for Haiti. He is a hard worker and a talented soccer player. These are two different things I know. The country of Haiti is strong and will recover from the earthquake and will have a prosperous future.

Ethan Scott

Bibliography

Smith, David. "Millions of Children to Lose Schools 'unless Western Donors Help'" The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 08 Nov. 2010. Web. 13 Aug. 2012. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2010/nov/09/education-funding-threat-developing-countries>.

"Haiti Earthquake 2010." - Economic Impact of the Earthquake. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Aug. 2012. <http://haitiearthquake.web.unc.edu/economic-impact-of-the-earthquake/>.

Morgan, Sarah. "SmartMoney." The Haitian Earthquake's Economic Aftershocks. Http://www.smartmoney.com, 13 Jan. 2010. Web. 13 Aug. 2012. <http://www.smartmoney.com/invest/markets/the-haitian-earthquakes-economic-aftershocks/>.

"Haiti." News. Nytimes.com, 13 Aug. 2012. Web. 13 Aug. 2012. <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/haiti/index.html>.

Phillips, Tom, and Claire Provost. "Haiti Earthquake: Two Years On, and Just Half of Promised Aid Has Been Delivered." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 01 Nov. 2012. Web. 13 Aug. 2012. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/11/haiti-earthquake-promised-aid-not-delivered>.

Economic

This is an image of the Presidential palace from the aftermath of the earthquake

Haiti was already one of the poorest nations on earth and was naturally going to take a long time to recover after an earthquake of this magnitude. Before the earthquake Haiti was actually experiencing economic growth starting in 2005. The Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) act boosted the apparel industry and offered jobs to young workers. The economy was improving and even though this disaster did affect this countries economy it could still recover from this set back.

Haiti has never been a particually economically stable country as 80% of the country is believed to be below the poverty line. The nation generates most of its jobs from textiles and agriculture and associated industries like sugar refining. With the earthquake, unemployment levels soared with the destruction of infrastructure affecting industry and agriculture. Haiti's main exports of mangos and coffee have dropped off even with the help from United Nations donations. There is no easy way to fix the economic problem in Haiti. In time there is hope though that the progress that was being made before the earthquake can resume.

Truong, Hong-An. "Art and Culture in Haiti after the Quake | Idiom." Art and Culture in Haiti after the Quake | Idiom. Http://idiommag.com, 2 Feb. 2010. Web. 13 Aug. 2012. <http://idiommag.com/2010/02/art-and-culture-in-haiti-after-the-quake/>.

Political change

This is an image depicting the chaos at the time in Haiti and people calling for Martelly to be put into office.

 When Haiti's prime minister Garry Conille resigned in Febuary 2012 just after four months in office, Time reported that this is a perfect example of the way Haiti's dysfunctional government has deterred direct foriegn investment. Michel Martelly was sworn into office in May 2012 but before this, nervous international donors withheld billions for planned reconstruction. During the six months in which Haiti had no effective leadership, donors were hesitant to send funds.

Politcal corruption has become a common problem in Haiti. Overall it is believed that Haiti has one of the highest political corruption rates in the world. It is of great importance to the Haitian people that the relief effort is not a politcal tool designed to influence the country's government. The process of helping the Haitian people to recover needs to be successful because otherwise nothing will change in Haiti. I see that the Haitian people and the Haitian government are not on the same page. The government does not represent the people. The history of corruption and concentration of power only exascerbates the situation.

DESVARIEUX, JESSICA, and PORT-AU-PRINCE. "Politics Brings New Turmoil in Haiti." Time. Time, 09 Dec. 2010. Web. 13 Aug. 2012. <http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2036059,00.html>. 

Social Impact

This is a picture of a typical refugee camp outside Port-Au-Prince. After this natural disaster 1.5 million people were left homeless. The United Nations reportably pledged 4.5 billion dollars for 2010 and 2011 but only 2.8 billion have been disbursed by 2011. The problem is that the money was being privatized, outsourced or taken over by foriegn NGO's. As well the United States sent 22,000 troops and the United Nations sent 10,500 members to act as a peacekeeping force. This combination of agencies lead to a chaotic and confusing effort that cost lives as these two dueling forces clashed.

A massive cholera epidemic broke in 2010. The causes of the epidemic are not simple. Weather conditions caused by La Nina are believed to be a factor along with unsanitary conditions that pre-existed the earthquake and were magnified by the earthquake. Some sources such as the Center for Disease Control after DNA analysis believe that the outbreak could originate from UN soldiers from Asia and probably Nepal where there was a known cholera strain. It was difficult for people wanting to help to go into help because of the cholera epidemic.

Smith, David. "Millions of Children to Lose Schools 'unless Western Donors Help'" The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 08 Nov. 2010. Web. 13 Aug. 2012. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2010/nov/09/education-funding-threat-developing-countries>. 

Physical Devastation

This Photo depicts the destruction after the earthquake destroying homes along a ridge.

This is a picture of the devastation caused in Haiti after the earthquake on January 12th, 2010. This just shows a small part of the destruction caused by the earthquake that killed roughly 316,000 people in Haiti. The earthquake had a magnitude of around 7.0 and struck the Capitol of Port-Au-Prince. This was such a devastating earthquake not only because tof the magnitude but the fact that the earthquake struck in such a densely populated area. Haiti has 9.2 million people which is compareable to the size of Mayland and it the most densly popluated area in the Americas.

This was such a severe earthquake because it happened in one of the poorest contries in the western hemisphere. The physical destruction ravaged the island infrastructure and caused widespread a loss of power. Relief efforts were made much harder because of the blocking off of roads and airports. The native people also could not communicate with their friends and family. From my perspective it was very difficult to move supplies into Haiti at the start because there was debris everywhere.

Hazelton, Liz. "Haiti Earthquake in Pictures: How Natural Disaster Ripped an Island Apart." Mail Online. Dailymail.co.uk, 13 Jan. 2010. Web. 13 Aug. 2012. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1242929/Haiti-earthquake-pictures-How-natural-disaster-ripped-island-apart.html>.