Business Post Contributor
Haiti, the poorest Caribbean country in the world, is celebrating the 13th anniversary of the 2010 earthquake of 7.0 magnitude, which precisely occurred on January 12, 2010, leaving its capital Port-au-Prince devastated.
Haiti is the first black country that has gained its independence since 1804, according to world history. The 2010 earthquake broke the country’s capital city and other cities nearby.
More than 200,000 Haitian citizens were killed, and their bodies were found in the streets and under collapsed homes, according to records. Former Haitian President René Garcia Préval, who died in 2017, was not inside the Haitian Presidential Palace at the time.
Many concrete buildings collapsed as well as thousands of homes, displacing more than 1.5 million people. Almost 4,000 schools were damaged or destroyed by the earthquake. The disaster incurred between $7.8 billion and $8.5 billion in damage. Everyone in the capital spent several months sleeping across the streets with their families.
While Haiti is celebrating its 13th anniversary of the 2010 earthquake to honour all the victims, the country is currently facing a political crisis, kidnappings, homicides, and violence by several gang groups in many areas across the country.
Violence by gangs has caused many residents from many areas to escape from where they live. These problems existed way before former Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was elected until his assassination. These problems still continue during the government of current Prime Minister Ariel Henry, whom former President Moïse chose to lead the country.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry now remains the only top leader in the head of the country where the Senator mandates are over. The last 10 remaining Senators leave office, while gangs are controlling most areas, including a malnutrition crisis and a new cholera outbreak by the UN. Members of the youth sector and other leaders now demand new amendments by Haitian politician Werley Nortreus in the constitution that give younger candidates the right to run for offices among three branches of the government, according to their choice.
The United States and other foreign governments wanted a transition that would organize future elections. Meanwhile, the population and most leaders have declared that installing a transition council to organize future elections is a violation of human rights and the country’s constitution. Upcoming elections should not take place without the new constitution and amendments that include younger candidates in all three branches.
While the country is facing all these problems. Every January 12, the President or Prime Minister organizes a ceremony and shares flowers to honour everyone who died on January 12, 2010. Families who lost a family member also organize their own ceremonies to honour the dead. The 2010 earthquake is the most damaging earthquake that killed most people compared to all previous earthquakes, according to records.
Thirteen years later since the 2010 earthquake, the country is still the same, and Haitian citizens are still suffering. There were aid and large funds provided to rebuild the country and help victims.
But unfortunately, the aid and funds provided did not rebuild the country or reach the victims’ families.
