March 3, 2010
The massive earthquake, measuring 7.3 on the Richter Scale, that recently hit Haiti only 10 miles from the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, has caused shock worldwide. DARA, which has worked in Haiti within the context of the Humanitarian Response Index (HRI) in 2007 and 2009, has also analysed the Spanish cooperation response to the 2008 hurricane season.
Haiti has a population of nine million, two of which live in the capital, and is the poorest country in the western hemisphere. A total of 80% of the population lives below the poverty threshold, on less than one dollar a day.
This extreme poverty is compounded by vulnerability factors, such as a lack of local capacities, great political and institutional instability, chronic food insecurity, non-existent job opportunities, deforestation, a weak state of infrastructures, low coverage to safe and treated water (46%), as well as hygiene and sanitation (28%), and a lack of investment in disaster prevention and preparedness measures on behalf of previous governments. The combination of these contextual elements explain why even small-scale natural disasters have an incalculable impact on its population.
Haitian children sitting on a stone by the Peruvian UN MINUSTAH military border base at Cachiman as UNHCR convoy waits for escort. / UNHCR / J. Björgvinsson / March 2010
Previous to this last earthquake, Haiti was still undergoing the recovery phase after suffering a devastating hurricane season between August and September 2008. Responding adequately to the emergency by “Building Back Better” is extremely difficult, especially in Haiti’s case where there response cycle is constantly interrupted by frequent small-scale disasters that prevent the country from fully recovering each time.
Mainstreaming disaster and risk management is a priority for Haiti. However, the National Disaster and Risk Management System (SNGRD) depends on the Directorate of Civil Protection (DCP), a very weak institution with significant limitations in terms of infrastructure and intervention capacity. Improving the SNGRD’s intervention capacity successfully can only be achieved by reinforcing the DPC, given that the country lacks an evacuation plan, emergency material prepositioning capacity and a clear strategy regarding temporary shelter.
There is a pressing need to link humanitarian efforts to the post-emergency phases. A recurrent situation is the substitution of local capacities with the provision of basic services without working towards institutional strengthening. In spite of efforts and willingness of the cooperation organizations working in Haiti to prioritize “prevention and early recovery”, these still need to materialize into clear and integrating initiatives. Land property disputes between governmental authorities only further limit the development of rehabilitation and recovery works.
Recovery efforts should be the building blocks for a better future for Haitians. Some recommendations for the international community, particularly donors, include:
- Support medium- to long-term recovery efforts that “Build Back Better” and involve the population
- Support organizations with presence in Haiti
- Add disaster funding to an existing mission
- Support disaster-risk reduction
- Move from reconstruction to integral development programmes, especially those focusing on education
- Fight against corruption
DARA will cover Haiti in 2010 during the development of its Disaster Risk Reduction Initiative (DRRI) in Central America and the Caribbean.
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