Haiti - A Summary of the Earthquake Event

The massively destructive earthquake that hit thelast month's earthquake.
impoverished island nation of Haiti earlier this monthNatural disasters have long had their part to play in
has dominated recent global news. Reams ofthe consistent destruction of Haiti. But the scale of
newsprint and thousands of websites have beendestruction wreaked by these disasters cannot all be
dedicated to chronicling recent and past misfortunesattributed to the disasters alone. Indiscriminate
of this country, ranging from natural disasters todeforestation has had a major role to play. Being the
political upheavals.poorest nation in the western hemisphere, oil has
The casual reader is left with the impression that Haitialways been a commodity that Haiti could ill-afford.
is a country with a ruined economy, chronicHence, charcoal from burnt trees has been the major
unemployment, and extreme poverty. The media hassource of energy. For decades, Haitians have
not been slow to point out that Haiti is a countryrelentlessly burnt and chopped down the lush forest
from which only bad news ever seems to come.cover of the island. This has meant that in times of
The name "Haiti" is derived from the language of thestorms and hurricanes, the rainwater rushes down
first inhabitants of the island, and meansunimpeded and the effects of destruction are greatly
"mountainous country". Haiti is the world's oldest blackmagnified.
republic and the second oldest republic in the westernA long history of political unrest and poverty means
hemisphere, after the United States. As a failed statethat the country is just not prepared to cope with
and a media whipping boy, the country has longdisasters of this scale and magnitude. The most
played a dark shadow to the bright sunlight of therecent disaster has prompted yet another major
rest of the Caribbean. Recent optimism over Haiti'sinternational aid effort. Haiti is a country that is in
impending renaissance has been buried again underserious need of help.