Earthquake!

The disaster I chose to discuss is the earthquake that occurred in 2010 in Port Au Prince, Haiti. It was a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that affected the southern part of Haiti. Haiti is considered a third world country where poverty and limited resources are very common. Although it occurred over a great distance, the impact was felt internationally. On the date of January 12, 2010, and the following weeks and months, the death toll estimate ranged from 230,000-316,000, 300,000 were injured, 85,432 individuals were displaced, and help from all around the world was centered on this country. A review on the event by CNN five years after the earthquake determined that billions of dollars have been utilized in efforts to restore their country. Many organizations including The Red Cross, the Peace Corps, the U.N., Habitat for Humanity, and more played a role in the restoration of Haiti either by traveling there and providing support or by raising funds. Personally, the reason I chose this disaster is because I was fortunate enough to travel to Haiti in 2012, two years after the incident as part of a medical group with International Service Learning (ISL). Although we did not travel into the city for safety purposes, it was evident how much of an impact the earthquake had on the rest of the country. Our group traveled to little villages on the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and everyone we spoke to was affected by the earthquake, just about every family knew someone that lived at the capitol since many family members migrate there with hopes of finding jobs and more opportunities that the little villages do not provide. While we talked to the villagers on occasion, it was evident that they were distressed about not knowing where their family members that had moved to the city were or whether they were still alive. It was interesting to observe how different their life style was compared to ours in the U.S. we might have the luxury of contacting hospitals, police stations, or even fire stations to look for our loved ones in case of an emergency, these individuals did not even have a phone or any form of communication or transportation to go and look for their loved ones that possibly were affected by the earthquake. Through our work with this country, we observed the great impact of cholera post the earthquake incident. Individuals were banned from using water from local streams and rivers due to the great possibility of obtaining cholera, a deadly bacterial disease that may cause dehydration and diarrhea. In the U.S, we may think how hard could it be to treat cholera? Well, in a third world country such as Haiti, sometimes their only source of fresh water is from these cholera-infested streams. Then, when its times to get treatment, there is no access to health care (such as in these small villages), or when there is access there is no money to pay for treatment, so as a result many people ended up dying as a result of cholera after the earthquake.

An impactful story I heard from one patient we were treating in Haiti was that her child had become infected so she attempted to travel to the nearest medical center, which was across the border in the Dominican Republic (3 hours away). She traveled on foot to the border, which is identified by a large river, a bridge, and a chain blocking the entrance into Haiti at the end of the bridge, guarded by a heavily armed military man. She begged and pleaded to the guard to let her cross as her child was sick and she had been traveling on foot for many hours. The guard was not compelled. She contemplated crossing the river, but knew it would make it worse since it was probably infested as well and the guards would probably catch her anyways. She returned every day, but ultimately her child ended up passing, probably from dehydration. It is sad to think that no matter how many billions of dollars were donated from many countries, it was not enough to help the residents of Haiti.

Some barriers identified that prevented Haiti from obtaining help were lack of resources, lack of proper money handling from the superiors of this country, and no proper infection control. Although I would like to say that we would be better prepared for the next international disaster, it is a difficult situation when we are 100% prepared but the resources from the country that needs relief are minimal. I believe the United States is very prepared for most situations, but when the number of people needing help surpasses the amount of supplies and providers, it is evident that many individuals will die or suffer terrible consequences resulting from inadequate resources.