EVEN 24 hours after the massive earthquake, the full dimensions of the catastrophe that has struck the Caribbean state of Haiti were still unclear. Such was the resulting devastation that both mobile and fixed line telephones together with main power went out virtually everywhere. The only certainty Wednesday night was that rescue and medical teams and supplies from around the world were converging on the airport at Port-au-Prince, the island’s capital.
The contribution of these international rescuers is likely to prove pivotal in finding trapped people in ruined buildings during the golden period of around 48 hours when their chances of survival are still relatively high. The medical teams will also be a great boost to a health system when hospitals and clinics have been badly damaged in the quake.
What makes the tragedy even deeper for the people of Haiti — the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere — is that the great majority of them had precious little before the earthquake. Now they have even less. Indeed, the country was still recovering from a series of devastating hurricanes in the fall of 2008, which caused some $1 billion of damage and left over 800 people dead. It already seems clear that the death toll from the worst earthquake to strike Haiti in 200 years, will be significantly higher, as, of course, will be the cost of extensive reconstruction.
In the midst of this calamity there has, however, been some good news. UN peacekeeping forces already in the country and part of an ongoing civilian aid effort have an established logistics infrastructure at the airport. Though it is known some UN soldiers and staff are among the dead and one of the main UN buildings in the capital has been wrecked, it is certain the organization is ready to bring order and distribution to the flood of international aid and assistance that began to arrive Wednesday night. Just as importantly, the UN has established satellite telephony which will be crucial in keeping the outside world informed of what is needed most and when. Arguably, therefore, the rescue effort has gained at least 24 hours by having these logistical and communications facilities already in place. It is perhaps also good news that the presidential palace, once the pride of the sinister late dictator Papa Doc Duvalier, also collapsed spectacularly on Tuesday night. The disparity in income between a small rich ruling elite and the great mass of Haitians who survive on an average of $2 a day, has long been a scandal. The earthquake, however, was no respecter of persons. It may give grim satisfaction to some, that the natural disaster proved such a great and literal leveler. As a social metaphor, this may carry over into the rebuilding period. There is an opportunity here, with international aid, to rebuild devastated slum districts with decent housing, infrastructure and facilities. Haitians really deserve a break. This awful disaster is also a major opportunity for the world to help a dirt-poor country of just 10 million people start over.
