The desolating disaster caused by the earthquake in Haiti
| Date: January 15, 2010 | Source: Economic @ 21 |
| Category: Chrono-HISTORY | |
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Loading ... The Prime Minister, Jean Max Bellerive, has estimated "more than 100,000" those killed by the earthquake. The numbers game is a reflection of the chaos in the country. The Red Cross, in the absence of official figures, estimated at more than three million victims.
The earthquake did not respect anyone in a city always fragile, believed to be accustomed to misfortunes until he met with wild esteterremoto. The presidential palace, the building of the UN has confirmed 14 dead but could have lost hundreds of employees, the cathedral, the best known hotel in the city, Parliament and hundreds of flimsy houses of a country always wins, always mistreated by nature and by men, recorded substantial damage. Or have sunk forever. As schools and hospitals, where they were most needed. Even the "central prison has been destroyed. There have been leaks of prisoners," according to spokeswoman UN Humanitarian Office.
The World Bank estimates that Haiti, the poorest country of America will lose more than 15% of its GDP because of the earthquake that struck on Tuesday, so it has confirmed a donation of $ 100 million (70 million euros) , the highest announced so far by any country or international organization.
In 2008, production of Haiti's GDP fell 15% due to four tropical storms, but the World Bank believes that this time the destruction exceed that level, since the disaster has affected a larger area and Port au Prince, the capital.
Meanwhile, some media were busy being the first to break the news by entering wrong data or images to their owners, other media chose to provide information to channel maximum possible aid through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube .
SOME DATA ON HAITI
- The Caribbean nation of 9 million people in a former French colony and the oldest black republic in the world, which was founded by freed slaves after a revolution that brought independence in 1804.
- Haiti is the poorest country in America with an average annual income of $ 560 per person. It ranked 146 out of 177 countries in the Index of Human Development, UNDP.
- More than half the population lives on less than $ 1 per day and 78% with less than $ 2. There is a high infant mortality rate (60 per 1,000 births) and the latency of HIV among those between 15 and 49 years is 2.2 percent.
- The infrastructure in Haiti is close to total collapse and severe deforestation has left only 2% of the forests.
- After decades of dictatorship, former Roman Catholic priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 1990 became the first leader of Haiti chosen in free elections. Aristide was ousted in a military coup in 1991 but returned to command the support of the United States.
- In 2004, Aristide was removed from the country by force and exiled after a rebellion of gangs and former soldiers.
- Haiti is ruled by President Rene Preval since May 2006 when the country returned to constitutional mandate.
