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Víctimas del terremoto esperan durante la distribución de alimentos en el barrio de Picot en Les Cayes, Haití.Monica Gonzalez

MundoAmérica, ,

Fenómenos naturales adversos como terremotos y huracanes son congénitos a Haití. De la mitad del siglo XVI al pasado 14 de agosto, la nación caribeña ha registrado unos 17 terremotos. Seis de ellos de magnitud de entre 7.0 y 8.1 en la escala de Richter causaron serios daños. Tal no es sólo la realidad de Haití sino de todo el Caribe: Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad y Tobago, y Martinica han sufrido sismos de magnitud de entre 7.3 y 7.7 en los últimos 15 años. La República Dominicana tuvo en 1946 un sismo de magnitud 8.1, que fue en promedio 73 veces más potente que los dos últimos terremotos de Haití.…  Seguir leyendo »

‘Haiti’s government has become far weaker and more riven by corruption than the one that flailed in 2010.’ Photograph: Reginald Louissaint Jr/AFP/Getty Images

MundoAmérica, ,

The latest statistics from Haiti’s August 14 earthquake are stark: at least 2,207 people have been confirmed dead and more than 12,000 injured. More than 130,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed. Aftershocks continue, and new landslides in the wake of the follow-on Tropical Storm Grace mean those numbers are expected to rise in the coming weeks.

But the most dispiriting number is 11. That is the number of years that passed between Haiti’s last major earthquake and this one – years in which corruption has hollowed out the state, armed gangs have expanded their territorial control, and political turmoil has intensified, culminating in the assassination of the president, Jovenel Moïse, in July.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAmérica,

Es imposible no conmoverme con cada nueva tragedia a la que se expone Haití, un país que, aunque uno deje de vivir en él, nunca deja de vivir en ti. Haití te sitúa en el mundo de una manera diferente, cambia tus prioridades en materia de progreso y de justicia social, a la vez que convierte en banales no pocas de las cuestiones por las que, en otros países, como España, corren ríos de tinta.

El último terremoto ha sacudido esta vez el llamado Gran Sur del país, impactando con ferocidad la ciudad de Les Cayes. El seísmo ha destruido, entre otros lugares, el hotel Les Mangiers, donde solía hospedarme de manera habitual, segando a su vez la vida de su propietario, Gabriel Fortuné, que había sido senador y alcalde de la ciudad, y con quien conversé en numerosas ocasiones durante los años que residí en el país.…  Seguir leyendo »

Manithe Simon, de 68 años, y su esposa, Wisner Desrosier, de 67, en un cuarto improvisado junto a su casa derrumbada en Marceline, Haití, el 22 de agosto de 2021. El país sufrió un terremoto de magnitud 7.2 y ahora resiste al huracán Grace. (REUTERS/Henry Romero)

MundoAmérica,

“No dejar a nadie atrás” es el compromiso de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas, en su Agenda 2030, de llegar a los más pobres de los pobres, combatir la discriminación y las crecientes desigualdades en los países. Hoy, ese compromiso se centra más que nunca en Haití a través de un llamamiento urgente para asistir a las personas más vulnerables afectadas por el terremoto que azotó el suroeste del país el 14 de agosto. El sismo de magnitud 7.2 ha recordado el de 2010, que mató a 330,000 personas y dejó a miles más desplazadas.

La destrucción y las muertes que ha dejado este nuevo desastre vienen a apuntalar una serie de eventos que han ido agravando la vulnerabilidad de la población en los últimos años y meses.…  Seguir leyendo »

Las ruinas de un hospital en Fleurant, Haití, después de un terremoto de magnitud 7,2 este mes. Credit Fernando Llano/Associated Press

MundoAmérica, ,

El terremoto de magnitud de 7,2 grados que sacudió a Haití hace una semana ha devastado el país; ha ocasionado la muerte de al menos 2189 personas y trastornado la vida de alrededor de 1,5 millones más al oeste de la capital, Puerto Príncipe. Estas comunidades no tienen acceso a servicios médicos, refugio, agua corriente ni alimentos. Como si esta catástrofe no hubiera sido suficiente, también han tenido que lidiar con inundaciones y deslaves causados por la tormenta tropical Grace y con la amenaza que supone la violencia de las pandillas para las caravanas que traen equipo y provisiones.

Para nosotros, los haitianos, este es otro doloroso episodio de déjà vu.…  Seguir leyendo »

Photo: /Joseph Odelyn Associated Press Des enfants déplacés par le séisme se blottissent sous un morceau de plastique le matin après que la tempête tropicale Grace a balayé Les Cayes, en Haïti, mardi le 17 août 2021, trois jours après un séisme de magnitude 7,2

MundoAmérica,

Pourquoi Haïti est-elle devenue si pauvre ? C’est l’une des questions que l’on pose très souvent dans les débats sur le niveau de pauvreté dans lequel patauge la partie occidentale de l’île, considérée comme l’une des principales attractions touristiques de la Caraïbe jusque dans les années 1970.

La question est d’autant plus importante que l’île était considérée comme la Perle des Antilles par les colons français, tellement cette ancienne colonie était riche. D’abord en ressources naturelles, l’or en particulier. Ensuite par sa productivité agricole qui lui permettait d’être considérée comme une grande pourvoyeuse de matière première.

La littérature sur l’économie du développement retient de nombreux éléments de réponse à cette épineuse question.…  Seguir leyendo »

Christina Jean, hija de Fabienne, habla con Alourdes Saül, la tía de su madre, en su primer día escuela después de las vacaciones de Navidad.

MundoAmérica, , ,

La primera vez que vi a la famosa Fabienne Jean, venía cojeando hacia mí lentamente, pero con la elegancia inconfundible de la bailarina que era. Dos años habían pasado desde que los donadores y los medios de Estados Unidos habían convertido a Fabienne en un símbolo de recuperación del devastador terremoto que sacudió a Haití en 2010. Quienes le deseaban lo mejor le habían prometido de todo, desde una nueva casa y una visa estadounidense hasta su propia academia de baile. En aquel momento, ella mantenía las esperanzas. Sin embargo, nada de eso sucedería.

La última vez que vi a la famosa Fabienne Jean estaba sentada sin hacer nada en su apartamento en un sótano de Puerto Príncipe, sin poder trabajar ni bailar, aún nostálgica por su breve encuentro con la generosidad estadounidense.…  Seguir leyendo »

After Hurricane Matthew, young men carry bags of rice they got from a food distribution center near Port Salut, Haiti. PATRICK FARRELL

MundoAmérica, ,

Hurricane Matthew devastated much of Haiti. The storm killed more than 800 people and leveled entire communities. Those who have visited have described scenes reminiscent of when the earthquake hit the island in 2010. There are food shortages, and a cholera epidemic has reached an alarming level. The World Health Organization has sent 1 million doses of cholera vaccine in response. The Haitian Ministry of Health was to begin a mass vaccination program last week.

It will take time to recover from this latest disaster. Then Haitians and the international community will once again embark on a rebuilding program.

After the 2010 earthquake destroyed much of Haiti’s urban society, the international community committed more than $1 billion to a rebuilding effort that was intended to set Haiti on the path toward sustainable development.…  Seguir leyendo »

Women left destitute after Hurricane Matthew bathe and clean clothes in a river cutting through Roche-a-Bateau. Patrick Farrell Miami Herald

MundoAmérica, ,

Haiti faces yet another humanitarian crisis, this time after Hurricane Matthew has left more than 175,000 Haitians without homes and 1.4 million in need of disaster relief assistance.

The small island-nation has had more than its share of natural disasters: Less than six years ago, it was devastated by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake.

Aid organizations providing humanitarian assistance in Haiti today should heed the lessons learned from the earthquake response in 2010. This includes addressing the critical needs of vulnerable populations, especially women, who are disproportionately affected and increasingly vulnerable after natural disasters.

Haiti was thrown into chaos in January 2010 when an earthquake struck, killing over 220,000 people and shattering infrastructure.…  Seguir leyendo »

Jaqueline and her children stand among the ruins of their home, which was destroyed in Hurricane Matthew, in Chabet in southwestern Haiti. (Hector Retamal/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)

MundoAmérica,

I’ve come to dread writing about my native Haiti. It seems that when I sit at my desk and tackle the subject, my fingers are writing about yet another disaster. This time it’s the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, with a death toll in the hundreds and tens of thousands left homeless. The United Nations is appealing for $120 million to address the devastation that has hit a poor island nation that seems to have neither the capacity nor the luck to avoid catastrophe.

In 2010, it was the devastating earthquake that took an estimated 300,000 lives; a couple of years later it was the cholera epidemic, a disease unknown in Haiti until inadvertently introduced by U.N.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAmérica,

Haiti, which is still in the midst of a slow and painful rebuilding process in the aftermath of 2010's historic earthquake, has experienced more heartbreak this week with the arrival of Hurricane Matthew. But sadly, for the Haitian people, the initial damage wreaked by environmental disaster has traditionally become a prelude to the disappointment of promises of international aid and relief, especially those sponsored by the U.S.

The Category 4 hurricane touched down on Haiti's southern shore on Tuesday, leaving hundreds dead in its wake and decimating the country's already fragile communications infrastructure. The damage to Haiti's southern peninsula is the latest setback in a series of environmental disasters that have gripped the country recently.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAmérica,

Hay un antes y un después para la comunidad humanitaria internacional tras el terremoto que sufrió Haití hace hoy 5 años.

El 12 de enero de 2010 un terremoto de 7.3 grados en la escala de Richter golpeó severamente Haití y su capital, Puerto Príncipe, ocasionando más de 230.000 muertos, 300.000 heridos, dos millones de desplazados y una enorme destrucción, comparable por su impacto socioeconómico al que ocasionó el huracán Mitch en Centroamérica en 1998.

Los desastres de esta magnitud constituyen un punto de inflexión en la memoria colectiva de las sociedades que los padecen, generan un dolor, un trauma y un vacío que permanecen por siempre entre los que lo perdieron todo e hipotecan el futuro y las oportunidades de las generaciones venideras.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAmérica, , ,

This month marks the fourth anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti and the one-year anniversary of the most important written work to emerge from the rubble thus far — Jonathan Katz’s The Big Truck That Went By.

Katz, a veteran journalist who lived in Haiti before, during and after the temblor, dispelled with his book the myth that Haitians misappropriated or profited from billions of dollars in post-quake foreign aid. While it is true that billions were pledged for Haiti at the International Donors’ Conference held on March 31, 2010, the majority of the funding that actually materialized has supported a vast infrastructure of international relief organizations.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAmérica, ,

Hurricane season is pummeling Haiti again, and Washington’s usual response won’t suffice.

Since 1935, Haiti has been hit by 10 massive hurricanes — four in 2008 alone.

Earthquakes are less frequent but more devastating. The earthquake of Jan. 12, 2010, killed more than 200,000, injured another 300,000 and left an estimated 1 million homeless.

The day after the 2010 earthquake, the Associated Press reported that North American, European and other governments had already pledged a combined total of nearly $40 million in aid. Personnel and materiel were arriving already, too. The Americans were sending in the Marines — more than 2,000 of them — along with ships, helicopters and transport planes.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAmérica,

We’ll never forget our first impression of post-earthquake Haiti, when piles of rubble buried entire stretches of Port-au-Prince. Pulverized homes and impassable streets became chilling symbols of a nation’s physical and economic collapse.

Three years later, most of that debris has been removed from the capital’s roads, and with it have gone many of the social and structural obstacles to Haiti’s emerging markets. For foreign investors with integrity and foresight, the indomitable Caribbean country is open for business. This includes a new Marriott hotel that broke ground within the past few weeks.

Following the earthquake, tourism was the last thing on our minds.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAmérica,

Three years have elapsed since the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake took the lives of hundreds of thousands of Haitians, destroyed some of our cities and collapsed our infrastructure. That tragic seminal event was an end and a beginning; a moment in time that serves to gauge the direction our country, the quality of our leadership and the perseverance of our people.

Indeed, the tragedy of the earthquake provided an opportunity to rebuild our country, to restructure our political institutions, and redefine our development path. With the help of the international community we have been gradually moving toward the goals of reconstructing and modernizing Haiti that were established in the aftermath of the event.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAmérica,

A little more than a week after a 45-second earthquake ravaged Haiti in January 2010, I drove into Leogane, the epicenter of the catastrophe, where tens of thousands of people had been killed. At the emergency clinic of Doctors Without Borders, hundreds of the injured were waiting in the hot sun for care. There, sitting on his mother’s lap, was a boy named McKenly, then almost 3.

During the quake, a wall of his house had fallen on him and his sister, killing her and lopping off his left hand and his right arm to the elbow. Now he had run out of pain medication.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAmérica,

Once upon a time you could tell from the moment you walked into the departures terminal in Miami or New York where the check-in counter was for the flight to Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

It was usually the last one and the queue consisted only of Haitians. All kinds of Haitians — women wearing their excess luggage, diaspora families with neat little children, “rappeurs” (as my father would say with a guttural “r”) in their overly branded outfits, jean-and-T-shirt students like me on our annual visit home.

The waiting could be brutal. I read the better part of a “One Hundred Years of Solitude” one time waiting to check in.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAmérica,

It's hard to believe that a year has elapsed since an earthquake destroyed Haiti. It's harder still to gird myself for the anniversary of wrenching images that will recall the suffering.

It seems illogical to feel apprehensive about an event experienced mostly through the safe distance of a television screen. Yet for us Haitian Americans who've spent most of our hyphenated lives in the United States, Jan. 12 has become a permanent scar on our psyches, a combination of sadness and survivor's guilt. It's a reminder that but for the grace of God, the ambitions of immigrant parents, economic privilege and dumb luck, we could have been among the 250,000 who died, or the more than 1 million left homeless, or the thousands maimed physically or psychologically.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAmérica,

Como siempre, Kafka tenía la respuesta. Parece que hubiera divisado con un catalejo el futuro de esa media isla exhausta llamada Haití, con su interminable reguero de muertos, y que hubiera escrito Un médico rural para explicarnos cómo nos sentimos. El protagonista de su relato recibe un aviso urgente en medio de la noche: hay un enfermo grave en un pueblo a 10 millas de distancia. El invierno es helador en un lugar indeterminado, tal vez Europa, y en una época no revelada, quizá la nuestra. Su sentido de la responsabilidad moral hacia sus semejantes le mueve a actuar, como a tantos de nosotros.…  Seguir leyendo »