Haiti needs cheap and reliable electricity, clean drinking water, schools, and reforestation. Instead they got new shantytowns, a US$45 million Marriott hotel powered primarily by diesel generators, a $170 million industrial park that displaced hundreds of farmers to house a Korean clothing company, and Tony Rodham's gold mining venture from which the Haitian government will possibly receive a 2.5% royalty. Of course there have been some more beneficial projects, but hardly $10 billion worth.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/haiti/articl...
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/haiti/articl...
4
Since we're politicizing this weather story, there's no doubt that Haiti is a textbook example of the ruin that decades of authoritarian rule brings to any nation. In myriad ways.
Which candidate in our election has shown such motives?
Admiration for Putin.
Hatred of free press. (that's our FIRST ammendment)
"I alone can fix it."
Sorry, not in my America.
Never.
My prayers for Haiti.
And for us.
Which candidate in our election has shown such motives?
Admiration for Putin.
Hatred of free press. (that's our FIRST ammendment)
"I alone can fix it."
Sorry, not in my America.
Never.
My prayers for Haiti.
And for us.
6
Fortunately, the Clinton Foundation invested billions to fortify Haiti - right???
1
Oh. What did the Trump Foundation do for Haiti again? Didn't think so.
6
There is no doubt that these catastrophic events are connected to climate change. Trump will blame it on the Chinese.
8
I am already scheduled to go volunteer at the Hopital Albert Schweitzer next week; we are going with a determined project, but when catastrophe strikes it will be important to find out what is needed at that time.
If any country deserves our sympathy, it is the people of Haiti, who have suffered for the reasons outlined by the other readers' comments. I won't add to it, just try to see how to help.
If any country deserves our sympathy, it is the people of Haiti, who have suffered for the reasons outlined by the other readers' comments. I won't add to it, just try to see how to help.
16
Haiti is basically a catastrophe regardless of this hurricane, sorry to say. France would be the first to blame, for enslaving it, pillaging it, and abandoning it after it rebelled, never to pay a dime in reparations. America would be next, for never really helping out after they too managed to throw off the chains of European rule. And its own people have some guilt too, for destroying their environment, for overpopulating, for having about the most corrupt systems on this side of the planet.
So hurricane Matthew is doubtless going to wreak a lot of destruction, and due to what Haiti is, cholera will follow, as will violence and faltering emergency assistance. But why should this be different from every other year?
I think the only solution to Haiti is to have it taken over and governed by a rich nation with a lot of time and energy to devote to fixing it. I don't see any nation bothering to do that, not even the U.N., as Haiti has no resources left to plunder. So I wish there were a way out of this, a future for Haiti, but I don't believe there is.
So hurricane Matthew is doubtless going to wreak a lot of destruction, and due to what Haiti is, cholera will follow, as will violence and faltering emergency assistance. But why should this be different from every other year?
I think the only solution to Haiti is to have it taken over and governed by a rich nation with a lot of time and energy to devote to fixing it. I don't see any nation bothering to do that, not even the U.N., as Haiti has no resources left to plunder. So I wish there were a way out of this, a future for Haiti, but I don't believe there is.
10
The US occupied Haiti from 1915 to 1934. Didn't work out too well
4
Dear Jo,
Actually it did work out somewhat well, during the occupation. The assassinations and coups were stopped, infrastructure was rebuilt on a large scale, Haitian debts were repaid, there was more law and order than before the occupation.
Unfortunately the American occupation was also highly racist, aimed mainly at reducing German power on the island, and natives were occasionally cut down by machine gun fire.
Nonetheless, this was a flawed occupation, and not akin to the solution I'm proposing, which nobody is going to do anyway.
Actually it did work out somewhat well, during the occupation. The assassinations and coups were stopped, infrastructure was rebuilt on a large scale, Haitian debts were repaid, there was more law and order than before the occupation.
Unfortunately the American occupation was also highly racist, aimed mainly at reducing German power on the island, and natives were occasionally cut down by machine gun fire.
Nonetheless, this was a flawed occupation, and not akin to the solution I'm proposing, which nobody is going to do anyway.
1
'Unfortunately the American occupation was also highly racist, aimed mainly at reducing German power on the island, and natives were occasionally cut down by machine gun fire.'
I think that means the occupation DIDN'T work.
I think that means the occupation DIDN'T work.
1
Take any and all funds and aid previously allocated for The Philippines and use them to help Haiti. Duterte doesn't deserve anything from the US.
7
'...“Haiti is in deep, deep trouble,” one meteorologist said...'
When has Haiti not been in deep, deep trouble?
And when has anything tried ever helped the Haitian people?
When has Haiti not been in deep, deep trouble?
And when has anything tried ever helped the Haitian people?
3
Haiti has deforested itself over its history in search of fuel, which has led to soil erosion and its consequences. Unless reforested, it will desertify and my heart goes out to the people struggling to eke a living out in this environment, and then facing this tragedy that is coming.
15
fortunately it made landfall at th extreme western part of th southern peninsula, which will serve to minimize damages and death
Maximum sustained winds remain near 145 mph (230 km/h) with
higher gusts. Matthew is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-
Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some fluctuations in intensity are
possible during the next couple of days, but Matthew is expected to
remain a powerful hurricane through at least Wednesday night.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 40 miles (65 km) from
the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 185
miles (295 km).
The estimated minimum central pressure is 934 mb (27.58 inches).
Maximum sustained winds remain near 145 mph (230 km/h) with
higher gusts. Matthew is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-
Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some fluctuations in intensity are
possible during the next couple of days, but Matthew is expected to
remain a powerful hurricane through at least Wednesday night.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 40 miles (65 km) from
the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 185
miles (295 km).
The estimated minimum central pressure is 934 mb (27.58 inches).
2
I just hope that we give our aid to Haiti to be used on the Island. Not bringing people here.
5
My mother who taught nursing for many years was sitting on a verandah visiting with some of her students as one of them, from Haiti, told the group stories about the powerlessness of the common folk in Haiti. As they sat and listened, a small bird hopped about picking crumbs off the floor. Without warning a large bird swooped in and gulped down the small bird. A moment of silence and the student went on, "Yes, that is my Haiti."
14
Why is Haiti still in such a desperate condition? What happened to the billions of dollars that the world sent to help the Haitian people? Oh that's right, the agencies that collected the money used it to make themselves rich.
The Western world has preyed on Haiti for centuries. Haiti has never been forgiven for having the only successful slave revolution in the Western hemisphere. Ask France about the billions of dollars it took from Haiti as 'compensation' for loss of slave labour. Well into the 20th century France was still being 'compensated'.
The history of the United States in Haiti is equally bloody and ugly. The US invaded Haiti over and over and supported murderous regimes like Papa Doc.
Unlike Donald Trump, I don't blame Hilary Clinton for her husband's wrong doing. But I find it very difficult to even stand the sight of Bill Clinton when I think about his history with Haiti.
Once again, Haiti will suffer. Agencies who claim to be helping will ask us for money and many of us will give it. And once the world's gaze has moved on, the people in Haiti will STILL be living in tents.
The Western world has preyed on Haiti for centuries. Haiti has never been forgiven for having the only successful slave revolution in the Western hemisphere. Ask France about the billions of dollars it took from Haiti as 'compensation' for loss of slave labour. Well into the 20th century France was still being 'compensated'.
The history of the United States in Haiti is equally bloody and ugly. The US invaded Haiti over and over and supported murderous regimes like Papa Doc.
Unlike Donald Trump, I don't blame Hilary Clinton for her husband's wrong doing. But I find it very difficult to even stand the sight of Bill Clinton when I think about his history with Haiti.
Once again, Haiti will suffer. Agencies who claim to be helping will ask us for money and many of us will give it. And once the world's gaze has moved on, the people in Haiti will STILL be living in tents.
11
@laura174: I don't know your sources, but there are a few that take the bite out of your accusations. Here's one:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2016/06/13/did-the-c...
Meanwhile, exactly what do you think that Trump would do better for Haiti?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2016/06/13/did-the-c...
Meanwhile, exactly what do you think that Trump would do better for Haiti?
6
I'm not sure what the people of Haiti did to amass all this bad Karma. Earthquakes, hurricanes, poverty, etc. I feel so bad for them. I hope they come through this alive.
4
It is really lugubrious to hear that. I remember that there was a massive earthquake in Haiti 6 years ago as mentioned in the article, but the massive hurricane with the heavy rainfall would be so catastrophic. I wish the people living in Haiti would not be damaged by the disaster.
6
Just how much suffering can a single place, and people endure...? It's beyond imagining here where I am safe at the moment, safe from all threats and at ease. Sending money becomes the small thing that a person, here, can do. The whole thing causing worry, troubling sleep. Not the worry over lost money, who cares, but the worry over lost people, who nobody helps. There are places so poor and worn down out there by intentional neglect it's hard to imagine from here how they get out of it. Get mosquito nets to stop malaria, clean water to stop cholera, a Sean Penn to keep the spotlight shining on. Medicines, food, safety from fear. Clean-up and help: Haitians are some of the most faithful, self-less human beings you can find, despite sometimes having little. At times like these, we are all citizens of the world.
21
You raise such a good point that the people with the least are often the most generous. And I have found the opposite to be true as well, which our extraordinarily unfortunate election season has so clearly illustrated.
2
We all weep and pray for the Haitians (and Cubans and Bahamians) who are undergoing the horror of a category 4 hurricane. Matthew. is a catastrophic disaster for all people who are caught in it - whether in storm relief centers or in their homes, which will be inundated by surging flood waters and rains beyond imagining. I lost my home by the Caribbean sea to two Cat 4 hurricanes on a small Cayman Island - Ivan, 2004, Paloma, 2008 - two "once in a century" storms within 4 years. The aluminum"tin" roof peeled off like the top of a sardine tin and the roof coming off sounded like a 747 landing on top of the cottage. Hurricanes, the thorns in the roses of living in a tropical paradise. I rebuilt my home twice because I loved life on the island among good friends, caring neighbors, loving people in a safe place. Two years ago, I sold my island home by the sea and moved to southeastern Florida. This week, we in Florida are now faced with the wrath of a Cat 3 hurricane. Matthew. Governor Scott has declared a state of emergency for all Florida counties. Climate change and global warming are being brought home to our consciousness with a vengeance. My "hurricane kit" is prepared - anyone who who has lived through a devastating hurricane knows the contents of a hurricane kit, the sinews of keeping life going on. Bless all beings caught in a hurricane, mercy for all those caught in peril by the sea, all those living now in "the cone of uncertainty".
35
Hardly climate change. The last hurricane to hit eastern Florida was over ten years ago.
1
Ivan and Paloma were were very different hurricanes, and neither were particularly unusual. However, I do believe the U.S. now coming off a "once in a century" respite from landfalling strong hurricanes.
Matthew looks a lot like Hazel, a CAT4 hurricane that caused more than 400 deaths in Haiti in October 1954. CAT 4 hurricanes Flora and Cleo hit Haiti in 1963 and 1964. Flora caused an estimated 8,000 deaths, Cleo 192. "Once in a century" storms?
Matthew looks a lot like Hazel, a CAT4 hurricane that caused more than 400 deaths in Haiti in October 1954. CAT 4 hurricanes Flora and Cleo hit Haiti in 1963 and 1964. Flora caused an estimated 8,000 deaths, Cleo 192. "Once in a century" storms?
I wish the article had included suggestions on how to help -- for example, a list of good, trustworthy organizations to donate to NOW, instead of after stories of devastation hit the media later this week. I sincerely hope the silver lining of the earthquake is that the government (limited as it is) and NGOs are able to coordinate a better response to this disaster.
28
In anticipation of the preparations and response, UNICEF has been inviting folks to donate.
1
Another sad day in Haiti, the land of endless misery.
14
The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere virtually within sight of the United States. Shame on the American government.
24
yes the Dominican Republic is right there.
1
AH2:
A modicum of research, rather than scornful finger-wagging, might have give you grater perspective. Try this out:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_aid_to_Haiti#U.S._economic_and_dev...
A modicum of research, rather than scornful finger-wagging, might have give you grater perspective. Try this out:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_aid_to_Haiti#U.S._economic_and_dev...
14
Do you have any idea how many billions of dollars the U.S. government and individual U.S. citizens have given to Haiti? What good has it done?
29
Feltgen, the NHC PAO, said "Haiti is in deep, deep trouble tonight".
Well, that is no change, from last week, last month, last year, the last decade or the last 75 years. Haiti has ALWAYS been in deep trouble. Matthew is just the latest incident.
So, what will happen after today?
1.The elections will get cancelled because of the logistical nightmare present after the hurricane (and who in their right mind is going to go out to vote, when they are using all of their energy to survive?).
2. The 10,000+ NGOs that run Haiti will (once again) appeal for donations, preying on the naiveté and guilt of donors, knowing well, a priori, that less that 5% of the money will be spent on the Haitian population. Most of it will be wasted on misguided projects.
3. World leaders and celebrities will once again state that "we have to do something about Haiti" and descend in droves on the country for photo ops, empty speeches, selfies and such.
4. The Haitian government will do nothing (because they can't).
5. We will se an new cholera epidemic, along with other diseases.
6. The DR will come (once again) to help, as it has always done, bearing much of the brunt. "Refugees" will stream across the DR/Haiti border in search for food and basic social services, straining the already overburdened DR system.
7. In two weeks, the world will move on and nobody will care.
And the scenario is in perpetual rerun. Same old, same old until the next crisis come along.
Well, that is no change, from last week, last month, last year, the last decade or the last 75 years. Haiti has ALWAYS been in deep trouble. Matthew is just the latest incident.
So, what will happen after today?
1.The elections will get cancelled because of the logistical nightmare present after the hurricane (and who in their right mind is going to go out to vote, when they are using all of their energy to survive?).
2. The 10,000+ NGOs that run Haiti will (once again) appeal for donations, preying on the naiveté and guilt of donors, knowing well, a priori, that less that 5% of the money will be spent on the Haitian population. Most of it will be wasted on misguided projects.
3. World leaders and celebrities will once again state that "we have to do something about Haiti" and descend in droves on the country for photo ops, empty speeches, selfies and such.
4. The Haitian government will do nothing (because they can't).
5. We will se an new cholera epidemic, along with other diseases.
6. The DR will come (once again) to help, as it has always done, bearing much of the brunt. "Refugees" will stream across the DR/Haiti border in search for food and basic social services, straining the already overburdened DR system.
7. In two weeks, the world will move on and nobody will care.
And the scenario is in perpetual rerun. Same old, same old until the next crisis come along.
84
Why don't we learn from the past ? No significant government means no full out coordination. My heart goes out to those who live in such a place of disorder. My question to the future is how can the people of Haiti continue to live in a place of such physical decimation ?
12
They can't which is why they emigrate to The Bahamas, Mexico and the US in droves and then work overtime in low-end jobs (mostly off the books and illegal) to send money back to Haiti for family. Meanwhile, the families in Haiti pay most of the remittance money to the six or so families that control all commercial activity in the country and live in luxury in gated and heavily guarded communities. Haiti is a modern plantation run by thugs who charged egregious fees to land and distribute relief aid after the earthquake to further enrich themselves. The thugs are "smart businessmen" who act like mini Donald Trumps.
58
true.. remember baby doc and his dad.
4
Can you site sources for this information? I'm not challenging you, I just want to understand. Are there any relief organizations who have avoided enriching these families and gotten the relief more directly to those suffering?
4
P.S. And, in the face of Hurricane Matthew, where is the empathy for the people of Cuba?