HEddie seemed to experience the same nightmare over and over again.Beautiful eleven years after a devastating year earthquake In 2010, another severe earthquake shook the Caribbean country. The magnitude 7.2 earthquake that occurred at around 8:30 on Saturday morning was stronger than in 2010. The epicenter was located about 130 kilometers west of the capital Port-au-Prince, near the city of Saint-Louis-du-Sud, causing less damage as it was then. Nevertheless, the consequences are still serious. The death toll has risen to just under 1,300. Hundreds of people are still missing and more than 2,800 were injured.
The extent of the damage caused by the earthquake is unclear. In the next few days, the number of victims may increase significantly, although it will not exist in any way compared to 2010, when more than 200,000 people were killed. According to the information so far, the cities of Lesques and Geremis on the southern peninsula have been particularly affected. Other areas may also be severely damaged. However, communication in the area was interrupted, which made the flow of information more difficult. Doctors report that hospitals in the area have been completely overloaded. In Les Cayes, the staff building of a hospital is said to have collapsed, housing medical students, interns and two doctors.
Experts are not surprised that Haiti has been shaken by severe earthquakes many times. Marco Bohnhoff of the German News Agency Potsdam Geological Research Center said: “This country is located on the edge of the Caribbean plate, a large tectonic plate.” “The problem is that the earthquake almost reached the surface.” On average, the earthquake moved the Caribbean plate by about 1.5 meters— -“It mainly moves to the side, but there is a vertical component.”
The time of the earthquake was simply terrible. Haiti is still feeling the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake. The southern part of the country was hardest hit by Saturday’s earthquake and is recovering from the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, which killed more than 500 people five years ago. In recent years, the economic crisis and subsequent political crisis in Haiti have deepened. Even before the corona pandemic broke out last year, the protests shook the country. Gang crime has risen sharply, and the security situation is precarious. The assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on July 7 brought further trauma to the country and its 11 million inhabitants and further complicated the political situation. The elections originally scheduled for September have been postponed to November. However, after the earthquake, this date is now also problematic.
British Prime Minister Ariel Henry called the situation “very serious” and declared a state of emergency for a month. “We will take necessary measures to help people affected by the earthquake,” he promised on Twitter. However, it is questionable whether the Haitian government has the necessary ability to escape from a serious crisis. Washington, the United Nations, and private aid agencies have pledged to provide rapid relief within hours of the earthquake. For now, it should be a matter of protecting the victim’s medical care. US President Joe Biden said: “The United States is still a close friend of the Haitian people, and we will always be there after this tragedy.”
Haiti’s overseas aid has recently become increasingly controversial. Many people regard foreign support as one of the reasons for the country’s structural problems. In the past few years, the international community has invested more than 13 billion U.S. dollars in Haiti. This helps the country overcome emergencies and ensure population supply, but it does little to help establish a functioning country. The necessary reforms failed to materialize. On the contrary, the country’s institutions are now undermined, contributing to violence and corruption.
But help from abroad will soon become more urgent. The tropical storm Grace that formed in the Caribbean may worsen the situation in Haiti as early as Monday. In particular, rainfall associated with storms may become a problem. According to experts, the risk of landslides after the earthquake is higher.
