Friday, January 9, 2015

Five Years Since Haiti’s Earthquake

Jan. 12 will be the fifth anniversary of the earthquake that hit southern Haiti in 2010, destroying much of Port-au-Prince and killing tens of thousands of people.

The US media will of course run anniversary articles, at least some of them expressing astonishment that so little has improved in Haiti despite billions in aid and the international community’s promise, in Bill Clinton’s words, to “build back better.” But the situation is no surprise for people who have followed Haiti news over the years. It was predictable, and in fact, many people predicted it.

To give some perspective on the anniversary, we’re linking to two old articles by an Update editor about the earthquake’s aftermath:

Helping Haiti: Our Dollars Aren't Enough
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2010/wilson300110.html

Why Haiti Wasn’t “Built Back Better”
http://upsidedownworld.org/main/haiti-archives-51/3582--why-haiti-wasnt-built-back-better

Below are links to additional articles describing the editor’s experiences in the five days after the earthquake:

Singing and Praying at Night in Port-au-Prince
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2010/wilson140110.html
Day 2 in Port-au-Prince: ‘Young Men with Crowbars'
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2010/wilson180110.html
Day Three in Port-au-Prince: ‘A difficult situation’
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2010/wilson210110.html
Day 4 in Port-au-Prince: On the Veranda
http://grassrootssolidarity.blogspot.com/2010/08/day-4-in-port-au-prince-on-veranda.html
Days 5 and 6 in Port-au-Prince: Escape From Katrina
http://grassrootssolidarity.blogspot.com/2010/08/days-5-and-6-in-port-au-prince-escape.html

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