Degenkolb Reconnaissance Team in Haiti – Last two days
Our last two days in Haiti were less eventful; especially compared to the first 7 days. We had tried to set-up some building assessment activity and some meetings for Sunday but those plans fell through. We instead used the opportunity to consolidate our observations and start working on the next steps.
We also used the opportunity to explore Port-au-Prince and Petionville a bit more. When we returned from Petionville very late in the evening on Sunday, it was amazing how quiet it was on the streets. We saw a total of one car on roads that had been nearly impassible during the daylight hours. A few lights here or there lit up some properties but otherwise everything was dark except for the headlights of the van. It was surreal. It almost feels that it was the calm before the upcoming storms of the rainy season.
In the coming days, we will post a blog entry that reflects back on our trip and will explore our next steps. We are committed to be part of the answer for Haiti and our help and involvement has not ended when we boarded our flight back to California Monday morning. As part of that commitment, we would like to share with you a Frontline episode that aired on Tues night and some key statistics posted by the website for the Special Envoy to Haiti.
On March 30, 2010, the PBS show Frontline aired a powerful episode about Haiti and the destruction that occurred with the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake. There are some very disturbing images so viewer caution is strongly advised. If you have the opportunity, please take the time to watch this episode. A link to view the episode online is provided below:
There are some statements in the episode that we would like to echo.
We have also highlighted some of the resulting questions that need to be considered and some related issues.
The UN was significantly impacted by the earthquake when their headquarters building failed reducing their ability to first respond to the earthquake. When the remains of the building are shown in the episode, observe that the construction of their building appears to be consistent with the typical Haitian concrete frame with confined concrete URM infill. Though we are not fully aware of the details of the construction and design of the UN building, it is unlikely that the building was designed / built to be immediately functional following a strong earthquake. If the building had been functional and UN personnel not lost, could the UN first response been even more effective? Should critical infrastructures like the UN headquarters be designed and constructed to higher standards worldwide so that they will likely be functional following an earthquake? Can the world commit to this approach given the limited cost and resources? At the very least, it appears that a comprehensive review of infrastructure critical to the UN mission in seismic prone regions may be needed.
It must be stated that even with the damage sustained by the UN operation in Haiti from the earthquake, the UN has been a critical part of the successes that have occurred. The UN-Ops work with the rapid assessments is extremely important and the organization deserves significant credit for the benefit that this effort is providing to the impacted areas. For buildings not damaged by the earthquake, these buildings need to be reoccupied before the rains come and the UN-Ops program is providing a means to help this happen.
The episode also highlights the collapse and damage of the warehouses for the World Food Program. Per the episode, there was almost 8000 tons of food in Haiti at the time of the earthquake which could have potentially fed 1 million people for 10 days. The warehouses housing the food collapsed and/or were damaged. What might have been possible if these had remained functional following the earthquake? The same questions asked about the UN infrastructure can be asked of the infrastructure critical to the mission for other international aid organizations in seismic prone regions. Should aid organizations require that their critical infrastructure be designed and constructed to higher standards worldwide so that they will likely be functional following an earthquake?
The disaster that happened and continues on even now is unfathomable. On the website for former President Bill Clinton; now the Special Envoy for Haiti, key statistics describing the magnitude of the disaster were updated on March 30. The following is quoted directly from the website page: http://www.haitispecialenvoy.org/key_statistics
Almost 3.5 million people experienced strong-to-extreme shaking in the January 12 earthquake, including the entire population of Port-au-Prince (2.8 million, equivalent to the City of Chicago).
The Haitian Government estimates that 222,570 people have died and 300,572 have been injured.
604,215 people have left Port-au-Prince. An estimated 160,000 persons have come from Port-au-Prince to the border area with the Dominican Republic.
According to the Ministry of Education, 450,000 children have been displaced by the earthquake.
The Haitian Ministry of Education estimates that 3,889 students have died, while 1,234 schools have been destroyed, 2,504 have been damaged and another 975 have been affected.
In the South East department, about 1,000 schools have officially re-opened while 49 schools have been identified as severely damaged.
The Government estimates that 97,000 houses were destroyed and 188,000 were damaged across all affected areas.
UNFPA estimates that 750,000 women and girls of childbearing age were affected by the earthquake. Of these, approximately 63,000 were pregnant and 7,000 delivered in the first month after the earthquake.
About 494,600 children under five and 197,840 pregnant and lactating women were affected by the earthquake.
An estimated number of 302,000 children have been displaced to other departments, with an additional 720,000 children affected by the earthquake remaining in their home communities.
40 percent of the population of Haiti is under 14 years of age; 50 percent of the population is under 18 years of age.
Tens of millions of ready-to-eat meals are required to meet the needs of two million people for 15 days.
The number of people in need of shelter ranges from 800,000 to one million.
According to the Government of Haiti, 60 percent of government, administrative and economic infrastructure has been destroyed, as well as parliament and the judicial sector, including the Palais de Justice and numerous courts.
The earthquake had reduced Haiti’s gross domestic product by 70 percent.
90 percent of schools in Port-au-Prince and 60 percent of the schools in the South and West departments have been partially damaged or destroyed; an estimated 500,000 primary school children presently do not attend school.
Haiti development statistics (pre-earthquake):
55 percent of Haitians live on less than $1.25 per day. Per capita annual income is $660. 58 percent of children are under-nourished. 58 percent of the population lacks access to clean water. Earthquake follows devastating hurricanes in 2008, which affected 800,000 people. Deforestation has left leaving the nation with less than two percent forest cover.
The number of people needing treatment for trauma injuries is declining, but still represents more than ten percent of cases.
The Haiti earthquake has provided the world another example of how critical it is to design and construct resilient cities not only here in the USA but worldwide. Fortunately, discussions regarding resilient cities have already started. Chris Poland, our CEO, has been heavily involved in The Resilient City by the San Francisco Planning + Urban Research Association (http://www.spur.org/publications/library/report_series/theresilientcity). Take a moment and browse this report and then ask yourself:How resilient is your city? Will your government and associated infrastructure be there when you need it most? Will your home be there? Are you really prepared?
But let us not forget the immediate challenges faced by Haiti. What can we do to help the Haitians with their immediate needs? And what can we do to help Haiti become resilient to the next natural disaster?
