Haiti Revisited: 9 Months After The Quake

A woman walks in front of debris and garbage burning in Port-au-Prince. (Photo: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

The country of Haiti was struck by a devastating earthquake on January 12th of 2010. It is said the earthquake claimed the lives of 230.000 people and left a million homeless. The damage to the Haitian infrastructure was immense with 250.000 residences and over 30.000 official buildings being destroyed. Communications were also in disarray and as a result the relief effort was shambolic. As the magnitude of the disaster became clear the rest of the World woke up and started sending aid and personnel to Haiti. Countless charity events were organised to raise money for the Haitian people and Presidents Clinton and Bush Senior became involved. So much money was raised, more than $5 billion, that each displaced family could potentially be given a check for $37,000. Now, 9 months later, only 2% of this money has actually been released for projects helping the Haitian people, approximately 90% of the rubble is still in need of clearing up and a milion people still live in tents. Who is to blame? No one and everyone. Charities holding on to the money, governments making promises and not keeping them and the Haitian people, who seem to be waiting for someone else to clean up the mess.

A resident sells iron collected from buildings destroyed during an earthquake in downtown Port-au-Prince. (Photo: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

Residents get their hair tended to in a makeshift hair salon on a street in downtown Port-au-Prince. (Photo: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

A woman carries supplies, donated by the non-governmental organisation World Vision, to combat the rainy season at a provisional camp set up at the Canapevert zone in Port-au-Prince. (Photo: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

An earthquake survivor receives medical support in a provisional camp set up at the Petionville golf club in Port-au-Prince. (Photo: Kena Betancur/Reuters)

A resident looks at a makeshift stall downtown in Port-au-Prince. (Photo: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

A resident stands next to her belongings in downtown Port-au-Prince. (Photo: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

A solar-powered lamp is seen inside a provisional camp for earthquake victims in Port-au-Prince. (Photo: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

A resident collects blocks, from buildings destroyed in an earthquake, to sell in downtown Port-au-Prince. (Photo: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

Residents sell products beside buildings destroyed during an earthquake in downtown Port-au-Prince. (Photo: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

A man travels on his wheelchair on the streets of Port-au-Prince. (Photo: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

Women pass in front of burning garbage and debris from buildings destroyed by an earthquake in Port-au-Prince. (Photo: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

Earthquake survivors are seen at camp set up at the Delmas 33 zone at the site where a tree collapsed over tents last week due to heavy rains in Port-au-Prince. (Photo: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

A woman carries supplies during a distribution of supplies donated by the Haitian government to help residents combat the rainy season in Port-au-Prince. (Photo: Kena Betancur/Reuters)

A boy walks past presidential candidate posters in Port-au-Prince. (Photo: Kena Betancur/Reuters)

An earthquake survivor fixes his tent after it collapsed last week after rains in Port-au-Prince, at a camp set up near the Toussaint Louverture International Airport. (Photo: Kena Betancur/Reuters)

An earthquake survivor fixes his shelter, after the structure collapsed last week due to rain, at a camp set up in the airport zone in Port-au-Prince. (Photo: Kena Betancur/Reuters)

A woman carries drinks to sell while walking during a drizzle at a provisional camp set up at the Petionville golf club in Port-au-Prince. (Photo: Kena Betancur/Reuters)

Earthquake survivors play cards at a camp set up at the Petionville zone in Port-au-Prince. (Photo: Kena Betancur/Reuters)

A man stands in a puddle with his crutches while waiting to cross the street at downtown Port-au-Prince. (Photo: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

A woman styles her hair with curlers as business carries on in a hairdressing salon at Port-au-Prince. (Photo: Kena Betancur/Reuters)

Women pass a cathedral, which was damaged after the earthquake, in Port-au-Prince. (Photo: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

An earthquake victim carries a bucket with water in the destroyed neighborhood of Fort-Liberte in Port-au-Prince. (Photo: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

A view of the destroyed neighborhood of Fort-Liberte in Port-au-Prince. (Photo: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

Tania Lalanne, 26, who lost six relatives during the earthquake, walks over what was her house in the destroyed neighborhood of Fort-Liberte in Port-au-Prince. (Photo: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)