Earthquake+Recovery+in+Haiti

**Earthquake Recovery in Haiti**
By: Gina Mahon

On January 12, 2010 a tragic earthquake struck the small country of Haiti, and it has had terrible long-lasting effects. Although it has been awhile since the disaster, the poor country is struggling to survive. Some major problems that are currently happening in Haiti right now are
 * a decreasing population
 * harsh living conditions
 * a dangerous money loss

The earthquake began only 10 miles southwest of the country's capital, Port-au-Prince. The extreme shaking of the ground caused almost all of the unstable houses in the city to crumble, as the picture shows. The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.0, a very dangerous rate, and spread to other parts of the country where they experienced the same misfortunes. As a result, 200,000 Hatians died.

Out of a population of nine million people, one million citizens of Haiti's homes were ruined. Their only option was to move into small tents that are unsanitary and squished. Since there are so many families whose homes were crushed, it was very common for multiple families to share small tents together, surrounded by other families experiencing the same problems. The families that live in the tents are considered lucky. The less fortunate try to survive by sleeping on the streets and roaming the country for shelter.

The current president of Haiti, and former pop singer, Michael Martelly, brings high hopes for the country. He promises to improve the economy by increasing jobs, and also education by generously offering it to all for free. Martelly has become a very idolized and popular figure in Haiti, not only for creating smash singles in his popstar days, but also by bringing a new reign of hope to Haiti.

media type="youtube" key="P9AJunhGpcg" height="315" width="420" Luckily for Haiti, many organizations have been reaching out to help. The most popular charity event that took place was the 'Hope for Haiti Now' benefit concert on January 22, 2010. The telethon was hosted by George Clooney, and was shown on over 20 television networks. There were appearences from political figures such as Barack Obama and George Bush, and also celebrities like Alicia Keys, Coldplay, and Bono. The program was shown all across the world, and proceeds were to be donated during the program. They also put all the songs performed on ITunes, where all purchases went to the Haiti foundation. Overall the benefit raised over 58 million dollars.

__**Timeline of Haiti**__


 * 2002:** Haiti becomes a member of the Caribbean community.


 * 2003**: Voodoo is considered a religion.


 * 2004:**Haiti celebrates their 200th year of independence, and President Aristide is forced into an exile. A new type of government rules the country.


 * 2005**: Hurrican Dennis kills around 50 people.


 * 2006:** A new democratic Government is lead by the Prime Minister, Jacques-Edouard Alexis.


 * 2007:** UN troops launch a new offensive against dangerous gangs in one of the most capital's most violent towns.


 * 2008**: Government decides to cut the price of rice in half, and Alexis is removed as the Prime Minister.


 * 2009:** The new Prime Minister is Jean-Max Bellerive.


 * 2010:** A 7.0 magnitude earthquake strikes the capital of Haiti and kills over 200,000 civilians.


 * 2011:** Almost 6,000 people die from a cholera outbreak.


 * 2012:** A foreign minister, Laurent Lamothe, becomes the new Prime Minister.

__**Summary**__ Obviously the 2010 earthquake in Haiti was absolutely devastating. The damage is both internal and external. There is no cure for all the damage that losing a loved one unexpectedly can do to you, but Haiti is staying strong, even though they lost over 200,000 civilians because of the disaster. As for the external damage done to the houses and cities, Haiti is making impressive progress. It is hard to make a comeback from a ruined and poor country, but Haiti is going against all odds. Fortunately Haiti has friends helping them along the way. Along with organizations like 'Hope for Haiti Now' raising money, the President of Haiti is leading them out of their poverty. Lastly, Haiti's nationalism is their finest way of recovering. After all of their hardships, they find a way to push through it together as one proud and unified country.

__**Ouestions**__ Please write your answers on a seperate piece of paper. Why do you think that Haiti has not given up hope?

Do you think that the United States should view Haiti as a threat? Why or why not?