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Letters | Opinion | Editorial | Weekend Report |
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Rebuilding Haiti,a long-term effort T he devastation and death left in the wake of the massive earthquake in Haiti is something that most people cannot comprehend. An estimated 200,000 have been killed. Hundreds of thousands are homeless and the capital Port-au-Prince has been practically destroyed. In the days immediately following the January 12, 7.0 magnitude earthquake, aid and aid workers from nations all around the world poured into Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere that has seen more than its share of natural and man-made disasters over the years. The demand for food, water, shelter, medical supplies and whatever else is needed is overwhelming, and initially, getting aid to Haiti was a challenge. Thankfully, those challenges have been addressed to some extent. The search and rescue efforts have been halted and now the daunting task of recovery from the devastation must begin. Some have predicted it could take a decade or longer, even with the tens of millions of dollars pledged by the international community. Millions of dollars have so far been raised in aid by concerned countries around the world, but that is only a fraction of what it will take to return Haiti to some semblance of normalcy. Even before the earthquake the situation in Haiti was dire. According to a New York Times report, four out of five people in Haiti live in poverty and more than half in abject poverty. Deforestation and over-farming have left much of Haiti eroded and barren, undermining subsistence farming efforts, driving up food prices and leaving the country even more vulnerable to natural disasters. Its long history of political instability and corruption has added to the turmoil. Like many communities around the world, the Bahamian community has come out strong in support of its neighbors since the earthquake, raising money and aid through telethons, coin drives and local charity organizations. Fear of donor fatigue is real and expected, especially when dealing with a recovery effort as massive as this one. The losses are staggering and help will be needed for a long time to come. Assistance will be needed for many months or even years. We welcome the pledge by CARICOM to offer "appropriate and targeted" support to Haiti over the long term. CARICOM has chosen to focus its aid in the area of health. About 350 CARICOM nationals are currently in Haiti helping with the relief efforts. As some have pointed out, not only will Haiti require humanitarian relief and money to rehabilitate basic infrastructure to make life tolerable, the country will require more fundamental reconstruction over the medium to long term, including the rebuilding of the Haitian state and its administrative infrastructure and laying the new foundations for an organized economy. Rebuilding Haiti will require an international commitment. As a close neighbor, The Bahamas - notwithstanding its current challenges - should do all that it possibly can to play a role in Haiti's recovery and long-term improvement. We also urge every Bahamian and resident of The Bahamas to do whatever they can to help Haiti and give the people there hope for the future. The heartbreaking images coming out of Haiti show now more than ever that the country is not only in dire need of our help, but a long-term commitment that the help will continue long after the story fades from the cable news shows and newspaper headlines.
Thursday January 28, 2010 |
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