2 Global Perspectives in Disaster Management Author’s name Institutional affiliation Subject Professor’s

2

Global Perspectives in Disaster Management

Author’s name

Institutional affiliation

Subject

Professor’s name

Date

The Haiti Earthquake of 2010

Haiti was struck by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake late in the afternoon of January 12, 2010. The devastation was unimaginable, claiming more than 220,000 lives, and was considered one of the deadliest natural disasters in history. Making matters worse, Haiti is a country with a fragile economy, with no infrastructure that can handle such destructive natural calamity. The earthquake and its aftermath brought suffering to a country that already ranked 145 out of 169 on the UN Human Development Index (DesRoches et al., 2011). The earthquake destroyed homes where many people live in shanties or homes with light materials that cannot withstand the effects of earthquakes (2011). It destroyed hospitals where there is lacking of health care facilities, and burdened women and children when they already lack the basic necessities. The impact of the destruction disproportionately impacted everyone, sending fears that those who survived the earthquake will have to deal on where to get food, water, clothing, and shelter. Hundreds and thousands were displaced, and no government agencies are readily available to address the widespread destruction and deliver medical assistance and other basic needs. According to the New York Times, death and injuries will be substantial while they try to assess the situation as night falls (Romero & Lacey, 2010). As soon as the world knows about the disaster, several foreign humanitarian groups have extended their assistance. An international humanitarian effort is essential as various government agencies were overwhelmed, experiencing manpower and logistical difficulties due to the widespread destruction of the earthquake.

Pre-disaster Assessment, Preparedness and Response of the Population

The government, non-government organizations, and private sectors are key institutions that can be equipped with professional and technical staff to help reduce the risks of destruction during a natural disaster. They play crucial roles in disaster management, utilizing a wide range of emergency strategies, networking, and organizational and operational planning (De Goyett et al., 2011). The Haiti earthquake disrupted the government’s various aspects of emergency responses. The impact of a 7.0 magnitude earthquake was unexpected, severe, and widespread. The loss of human lives, insurmountable injuries, physical and mental sufferings, and the adverse effect on the person’s well-being became a tremendous challenge for the country’s disaster management agencies. When disaster strikes, the government’s key institutions must work together to improve measures in the prevention, mitigation, response, and recovery of the whole nation. In the case of the 2010 earthquake, the situation is complex.

The Governmental Disaster Management Agencies

The front liners in government disaster management are the state and local government units, such as the national disaster management authorities, the police, fire departments and various medical services. They are at the forefront in providing immediate assistance, enforcing regulations, allocating resources and coordinating emergency responses of other agencies and humanitarian groups. Unfortunately, every segment of civil society was paralyzed or overwhelmed, and many of them were earthquake victims themselves. It is hard to imagine who could provide the relief and emergency response for the people. It is worthy to note that a United Nations peacekeeping mission was active at the time of the earthquake, and they too, lost several personnel (DesRoches et al., 2011). Government to government coordination in times of a crisis allowed the United States government to immediately mobilized thousands of civil service personnel to carry out relief and recovery operations while the U.S. military helped restore Haiti’s air and sea ports so more relief goods and medical supplies can be flown in (“U.S. Response to Haiti Earthquake”, 2010).

Non-Governmental Organizations and the International Financial Institutions

The role of NGOs in disaster risk reduction is as crucial as the responsibilities and roles of various government disaster management agencies. During the earthquake, their first order of battle was to coordinate and collaborate with Haiti’s government, the private sector, civil societies, and the local officials of the communities that were directly hit (Lassa, 2018). NGOs have the advantage to work at the grassroots level of the affected communities. They exercise moral imperative to help address the problems and gaps between those who are most at risk and those living in vulnerable communities. The assessment and decisions they make was critical in saving precious lives. On the other hand, the United Nation’s Inter-Agency Standing Committee played a major role during the earthquake when the Haiti government failed to cope with various emergencies due to the extent of the damage and casualties at the onset of the earthquake (“Response to the Humanitarian Crisis in Haiti”, 2010). They were ready to assist and coordination was made with the Haiti government for most humanitarian organizations to come in to save lives. The Haitian officials were also working with the World Bank representatives, ensuring the relief operations, shelter planning, and damage assessment for recovery planning remains sustainable.

Impact and Experience of the 2010 Earthquake

The impact of the earthquake in 2010 continues to linger to the poor people of Haiti until today, as many of them sustained permanent injuries (“UN marks anniversary of devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake”, 2022). According to USAID Administrator Samantha Power, the United States has been providing humanitarian and life-saving assistance to more than 1.5 million Haitians (Office of Press Relations, 2024). Recovery planning is critical for Haiti. After the earthquake, the US, the UN, and the World Bank control the international funding for the recovery plan since the political condition of Haiti is not ideal. Greed and corruption have periled the recovery of the country (Kahn & Pierre, 2020). Violence continues to hinder the full recovery of the Haitians from the devastation of the earthquake and the violence in the country today further worsens their food security, public health, and the welfare of women and children. In this regard, UNICEF is working with the government to keep the children healthy and free from malnutrition, waterborne diseases and other health issues (Nesbitt & Miks, 2020). The disaster has changed the lives of many Haitian children. The international humanitarian organizations will continue to be challenged by the situation in Haiti, but the sense of resilience of the Haitian people should provide an inspiration to the world.

References

De Goyett, C. D. V, Sarmiento, J. P., & Grünewald, F. (2011). Health response to the earthquake in Haiti January 2010. PAHO. https://reliefweb.int/report/world/health-response-earthquake-haiti-january-2010.

DesRoches, R., Comerio, M., Eberhard, M., Mooney, W., & Rix, G. J. (2011). Overview of the 2010 Haiti Earthquake. United States Geological Survey. https://escweb.wr.usgs.gov/share/mooney/142.pdf.

Kahn, C. & Pierre J. (2020). A ‘Lost Decade’: Haiti Still Struggles To Recover 10 Years After Massive Earthquake. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2020/01/12/794298546/a-lost-decade-haiti-still-struggles-to-recover-10-years-after-massive-earthquake.

Lassa, J. (2018). Roles of Non-Government Organizations in Disaster Risk Reduction. Oxford Research Encyclopedias, Natural Hazard Science. https://oxfordre.com/naturalhazardscience/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199389407.001.0001/acrefore-9780199389407-e-45?print=pdf.

Nesbitt, C. & Miks, J. (2020). The Haiti earthquake: 10 years later. UNICEF. https://www.unicef.org/stories/haiti-earthquake-10-years-later.

Office of Press Relations. (2024). United States Will Provide an Additional $25 Million to Address Humanitarian Crisis in Haiti. USAID. https://www.usaid.gov/news-information/press-releases/mar-15-2024-united-states-will-provide-additional-25-million-address-humanitarian-crisis-haiti.

Romero, S. & Lacey, M. (2010). Fierce Quake Devastates Haitian Capital. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/13/world/americas/13haiti.html.

“Response to the Humanitarian Crisis in Haiti”. (2010). Humanitarian Library. https://www.humanitarianlibrary.org/resource/response-humanitarian-crisis-haiti-0.

“UN marks anniversary of devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake”. (2022). United Nations. https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/01/1109632.

“U.S. Response to Haiti Earthquake”. (2010). Voice of America. https://editorials.voa.gov/a/us-response-to-haiti-earthquake-98085584/1481924.html.