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Humanitarian Assistance After 2010 Haiti Earthquake
The world is perceived as unfair; many people struggle daily worldwide in countries that have even never come into the minds of many. The Big Truck That Went By by Jonathan Kartz highlights these struggles, focusing on Haitians. Kartz narrates the perception of experience and survival of a massive earthquake that hit Haiti with a magnitude of 7.0 in January 2010 while he served as a journalist. Throughout the book, Kartz is astonishing in enlightening the reader about the unwelcoming situation Haitians were forced to experience. Thus, the book has stated flawed development, humanitarian aid systems, and poverty and inequality crises.
These three factors had detrimental impacts on many lives of Haitians, and they, therefore, serve as the basis for understanding what went wrong and why. The vulnerability of Haitis population was particularly evident in the context of natural disasters. In this paper, I will discuss how the people of Haiti experienced the disaster and its background to it, as well as how humanitarian aid from various organizations helped make a difference for Haitians.
Having an effective disaster management strategy is essential since natural catastrophes might strike at any moment. Effective catastrophe management, however, requires ample financial and human resources, as well as political and economic stability. Political instability in Haiti had contributed to the countrys susceptibility to natural catastrophes, such as earthquakes and hurricanes, before the 2010 storm that claimed the lives of an estimated 200,000 people.
People had dwelt in conditions of poor infrastructure in the areas around Port-au-Prince because of political upheaval, malnourishment, and widespread violence. Since Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, its infrastructure has been severely damaged by decades of political insecurity, corruption, and bloodshed. An estimated 80% of Haitians were considered to be impoverished (Gold 24). Many Haitians relied heavily on agricultural operations, particularly small-scale subsistence farming, to sustain them. In the event of a natural catastrophe, such activities are usually susceptible to destruction. It was the extensive deforestation throughout the country that compounded the harm.
Because of the countrys history of poor institutions, even the nations presidents have been compelled to flee the country and live in exile. As a result of their ineffectiveness and a high degree of corruption, the institutions were considered weak. This means that there were only a limited number of resources available for planning and developing the infrastructures needed to respond to or avert natural catastrophes like hurricanes (Katz 27).
Africans were compelled to labor on Spanish haciendas in Haiti, resulting in increased vulnerability to natural disasters like the 2010 earthquake. As a result of growing inequity resulting from the countrys enslavement policies, the people of color got inspiration from French Revolution and rose up against the countrys French Masters in the 1790s (Gold 53). As a result, in 1804, the countrys African citizens were granted freedom and independence.
As a result of a scenario that may be classified as colonialism, the struggle escalated, and countries like France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States began interfering with domestic matters. A primary objective of the Wilson administration is the expansion of US commercial interests abroad, as well as the containment of European imperial territorial aspirations and the dissemination of American democratic leadership. The Big Truck That Went By by Jonathan Katz, the Parsley Massacre, and the two decades of political upheaval in Haiti after the election of Francis Duvalier as president is mentioned in the novel.
Corruption was rampant under Duvaliers regime, and his son, Jean Claude, now runs Haiti like a fiefdom. When its leaders abused their position of authority, it led to the loss of Haitis remaining economic power (Katz 45). As a result of the corruption charges, many experts, businesses, and leaders fled the country, making the economy weaker and less powerful. Jean-Claude Duvalier was forced to flee the country after a series of protests and clashes against his administration (Katz 23).
Haitis political unrest left the country vulnerable to a natural calamity like an earthquake. Powerful opponents, as well as Haitis commercial and military elites, were responsible for the political handicap imposed on Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a former priest. The lengthy history of political instability led to the humanitarian crisis, says Katz (47). Geographic and environmental determinism may have something to do with Haitis susceptibility to natural catastrophes. Many people lost their lives due to unrestrained development near Port-au-Prince, which sits over a geological fault.
These struggles, therefore, suggest that the country was never equipped to avoid and react to natural catastrophes, and as a result, it was impotent to attend to the 2010 storm (Katz 48). Natural catastrophes were exacerbated as a result of Haitis economic turmoil. In Katz (54), most of Haitians with money attempted to flee the country, but rest of the Haitians had little alternative except to dig in and continue on with their lives. This implies that the majority of the people who stayed in the country were unable to assist in the relief effort since they lacked the necessary resources. Because of the uncertainty caused by political unrest, many of the countrys wealthier citizens moved their assets to safer havens abroad (Gold 24).
Those who stayed in the nation experienced terrible circumstances prior to the incident. After they left, the countrys economy slowed, the public sector deteriorated, and human rights abuses increased, particularly against Africans who remained enslaved (Katz 57).
Concerning health matters, sickness, and sanitation, only 30% of the population could access sanitation services, and only 54 percent had a chance to obtain clean water (Gold 55). Cite Soleil, for example, was regarded as the most unsafe area to reside in based on urbanization, safety, and escalated slums. There was a lack of focus on preparing for and averting natural catastrophes because of the focus on the economy. It is important to know what type of intentions the players have for Haitis future and whether or not such plans will be beneficial to the countrys residents.
The plan of rebuilding has been presented as a possible future for Haiti in the wake of the recent hurricanes. Prevail argued that the United Nations General Assembly needed to make sure that the restoration of the strategy was successful. Hillary Clinton, the United States Secretary of State, emphasized the need to consider all perspectives when addressing the problem of natural catastrophes like the one that struck Haiti.
For the sake of not repeating previous errors, Clinton advocated for working around the government rather than working with it (Gold 49). In addition, it is critical to provide funding for a variety of well-intentioned initiatives rather than making the substantial, long-term investments that Haiti needs (Katz 44). They also said that in order to assure success, it was critical to establish coordination of help, hold aid providers responsible, participate in the exchange of information and expertise, and keep tabs on the results of the work they had done.
United Nations, the United States, and corporate and individual groups continued to donate money to Haiti in the wake of the devastating earthquake. In light of the actors efforts and the objectives established in order to assist Haiti, it is difficult to achieve the fundamental purpose of assisting Haiti in overcoming the current and future natural catastrophes. Since the planned aims were poorly implemented, the same errors were being made over and over again.
Based on the above, it is unlikely that Haitians would benefit from the efforts of the United States, the United Nations, or any other individual or private group. Despite the fact that humanitarian aid is slowly pouring into Haiti, 93% of it is flowing back to the United Nations and other non-governmental organizations to pay for the goods and manpower that are needed (Gold 53). In spite of the players emphasis on openness, some of these monies do not exit the donor countries on occasion.
A few million dollars are flowing to the Haitian government since certain money is missing. The only way the actors efforts will be realized is if money is channeled to local governments and corporations. Its also critical to establish locally managed institutions that cant be influenced by outsiders. However, if disaster response methods in impoverished countries like Haiti are not altered, the issue will recur, and finger-pointing will remain the daily course.
Works Cited
Katz, Jonathan M. The Big Truck That Went By: How the World Came to Save Haiti and Left Behind a Disaster. St. Martins Press, 2013.
Gold, Herbert. Haiti: Best nightmare on Earth. Routledge, 2017. Web.
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