Catalog of Disasters in Haiti: How Much Suffering Can One Nation Take?

Though any and every nation can claim its share of tragedies, Haiti may lay legitimate claim to being the absolute butt of destructive factors and forces throughout its history. From the brutality of slave labor to its bloody war of independence from a superior power to the twenty first century, Haitians stand alone as perhaps the world's worst sufferers.

Experts say Haiti's many bouts with disasters are due to "a killer combination of geography, poverty, social problems, slipshod building standards and bad luck."

According to Richard Olson, a professor at Florida International University who directs the Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas project, "If you want to put the worst case scenario together in the Western hemisphere (for disasters), it's Haiti. There's a whole bunch of things working against Haiti. One is the hurricane track. The second is tectonics. Then you have the environmental degradation and the poverty."

One of Haiti's curses has been hardships imposed by the brutal hands of bloody and corrupt dictators, from Jean-Claude Duvalier to Jean-Bertrand Aristide. These thieves have stolen aid sent to Haiti, and billions of dollars of international aid have never been used to develop the country. This lack of development magnifies the impact of every natural disaster on the poverty-stricken nation.

Referring to the current calamity, a Yahoo! News writer says, "This is the 15th disaster since 2001 in which the U.S. Agency for International Development has sent money and help to Haiti... Since the turn of this century the U.S. has sent more than $16 million in disaster aid to Haiti."

Speaking of Haiti's catalog of disasters, Bob Corbett of webster.edu outlines numerous destructive forces visited upon the island nation, beginning as far back as 500 years ago. I briefly mention the major ones below...

1. In 1737 a hurricane decimated St. Louis de Sud.
   
   

2. An earthquake leveled Port-au-Prince in 1751.
   
   

3. In 1770 an earthquake that lasted for 15 days destroyed Port-au-Prince.
   
   

4. A major fire destroyed majority of the business district of Port-au-Prince in 1784.
   
   

5. An 1842 earthquake shook the entire island of Haiti, leaving 10,000 people dead in O Kap (Le Cap) alone.
   
   

6. A strong earthquake brought down the new cathedral of Port-au-Paix in 1887.
   
   

Wikipedia discusses recent natural disasters that impacted Haiti...

1. Hurricane Hazel, 1954: killed 1,000; flash floods destroyed numerous villages and damaged major cities; destroyed 40% of coffee trees and 50% of cacao trees; kept back Haiti's for economy for years.
   
   

2. Hurricane Flora, 1963: 5,000 killed; damages between $125 million and $180 million.
   
   

3. Category 5 Hurricane Allen , 1980: more than $400 million in damages; 220 deaths; 835,000 homeless; roughly 60% of coffee crop destroyed.
   
   

4. Hurricane Gordon, 1994: killed between 1,122 to 2,200 people.
   
   

5. Hurricane Georges, 1998: killed 209; mudslides destroyed or severely damaged many houses, leaving 167,332 homeless; lack of electricity; disruption of water supply, resulting in unsanitary conditions.
   
   

6. Hurricane Lili, 2002: 16 inches (410 mm) of heavy rains caused flooding in Camp-Perrin; crops damaged; 240 homes destroyed; 1700 homes damaged.
   
   

7. Hurricane Jeanne, 2004: about 13 inches (330 mm) of heavy rains in the northern mountains; flooding and mudslides; severely damaged Gonaives, a port city – 80,000 of the city's 100,000 residents were affected; over 3,006 died; 2,601 injured.
   
   

8. Tropical Storm Alpha , 2005: 17 dead due to floods and landslides; roads remained blocked for weeks; hundreds of houses destroyed.
   
   

9. Hurricane Ernesto, 2006: 11 inches (300 mm) of heavy rainfall; flooding; about 72 homes destroyed; 5 deaths
   
   

10. Hurricane Noel, 2007: dropped 22.43 (569.7 mm) of torrential rains on Camp Perrin; 3,252 families affected by flooding and mudslides; 500 houses damaged; about 90 deaths, including 17 missing; 7,500 people displaced; 104 injured.
    
    

11. Hurricane Gustav, 2008: 77 killed; about 2,100 houses destroyed, another 8,150 damaged, causing roughly 7,200 people to live in temporary shelters; between 25,000 to 30,000 families affected.
    
    

12. Hurricane Hanna, 2008: flooding and mudslides, especially in the city of Gonaives, which was flooded with water as high as 2 meters (6.6 feet) deep; 53,000 people moved to shelters; 529 dead; bridges collapsed; roads swamped.
    
    

It is to this catalog of woes that Haiti must add the 7.0 magnitude earthquake of January 12, 2010. Haiti's consul general to the U.N., Felix Augustin, said, the city "is flattened". The Haitian Red Cross has the death toll at between 45,000 and 50,000, with 300,000 people hurt or left homeless. Even veteran disaster relief workers have been utterly shocked by what they see, describing the scene as "overwhelming". Rev. Franklin Graham of Samaritan's Purse: "The damage is staggering..." Dr. David Gettle, medical adviser to Samaritan's Purse: "The streets are full of people that have no home to go back to. They're running out of food, fuel, and water. The situation is desperate and tense, and there is tremendous suffering." Dead bodies are being dumped like toxic waste in mass graves before victims could be identified.

Just how much pain and suffering can one nation handle?

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» left by Michael Ramzy

2 years 124 days ago.
49 fans.

A very sobering look at the tiny island's past and, perhaps, what it can look forward to. What will they do? Time, as always, will tell. Well done, sir.

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» left by Mogama 2 years 124 days ago.
117 fans. Follow Mogama on twitter!

Yes, Michael, I was shocked at the pounding of this small nation by the battering ramp of pain and suffering from too many sources. Thanks for reading and commenting. ~mogama~

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» left by Brianna Popsickle

2 years 123 days ago.

Just when you think it can't get worse. It's heartbreaking to see the suffering the people of Haiti have endured and continue to endure. We can't try to understand it, we just all have to do whatever we can to help, in any way we can. Very informative article Mogama. 

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» left by Mogama 2 years 123 days ago.
117 fans. Follow Mogama on twitter!

I totally agree, Brianna. Our response should be to help the Haitians, just as millions of Americans and others around the world are doing. Even in our local area there are many efforts to collect relief funds and supplies for our Caribbean neighbors. This is what it means to be fully human. ~mogama~

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» left by Zhana Books 2 years 119 days ago.
4 fans.

Thank you for posting this. It is important to remember that part of the problem is that Haiti has been impoverished and there are historical roots to this impoverishment, which iss man-made and dates from the successful struggle to end slavery there. This impoverishment has contributed to the devastation in the wake of the natural disasters you have catalogued.

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» left by Mogama 2 years 119 days ago.
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You're very right, Zhana, about the man-made aspects of Haiti's poverty. ~mogama~

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