Introduction
Haiti is at risk of natural disasters. Such vulnerability is caused by several factors. First, the geography of the country contributes to the occurrence of natural disasters (Jones, 2016). Haiti suffers from massive deforestation that causes floods and makes it difficult to maintain proper infrastructure. Second reason is lack of preparedness for natural disasters. Despite the fact that tropical storms, floods, and earthquakes are frequent, the nation is not prepared for the events. It generally has poor infrastructure, as even sanitation, healthcare facilities, and evacuation centers are in poor conditions or absent. Finally, Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the region, which has many political problems, corruption, and violence (Jones, 2016). As a result, the problem of natural disasters remains urgent. Among them, earthquakes have the most severe consequences. The problem of earthquakes is even more severe as its societal consequences influence medical sphere, education, infrastructure, livelihood, and general well-being of the population.
Background Information
Location (Relative and Absolute)
Absolute location of Haiti is 18° 32′ N latitude and 72° 20′ W longitude (McColl, 2014). Relative location of the country is the north-central Caribbean. Haiti is located in the western part of the island of Hispaniola. The country shares border with the Dominican Republic and is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The country is 27,750 square kilometers and has approximately 10.8 million people (McColl, 2014). It is located about 50 miles from Cuba.
Biome
The terrain of the country mainly consists of mountains, with small areas of coastal plains and river valleys (McColl, 2014). In the Northern part, there is Northern Massif, which is part of the Cordillera Central, and Northern Plain. In the central region, there are two plains and two mountain ranges. Finally, the southern region of Haiti consists of natural depression area with salt lakes, and mountain range, with the highest mountain of the county – Pic la Selle. Haiti also consists of several islands, which are inhabited by rural population. The Arthibonite River is the longest river of the country and the main source of drinking water.
Haiti has tropical climate. In January, the temperatures vary from 23 to 31 degrees Celsius. In July temperatures reach 25-35 degrees Celsius. The amount of rainfall varies significantly among the country, with the northern areas and lowland regions having the biggest amount of rains. Dry season takes place from November to January, and rain seasons last from April till June and from October till November (McColl, 2014). Generally, Haiti suffers from droughts and floods. Hurricanes are also frequent in the country. As a result, Haiti can be characterized by hot and humid tropical climate.
Haiti is located within Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone, which is considered to be at the end of its seismic activity. Thus, the scientists predict occurrence of earthquakes, with the possible magnitude of 7.2 (Mann, Calais, Demets, Prentice, & Wiggins-Grandison, 2008). Indeed, in 2010, the earthquake happened within the mentioned above fault zone.
About 30 percent of the country is covered by forests. The coverage has reduced significantly during the last 50 years. In the forests, there are pines, ferns, cedars, rosewood, and mahogany. The coastal areas have well preserved coral reefs and mangrove forests (McColl, 2014). Coffee, cacao, and coconut trees are also widespread in Haiti. Fruits such as oranges, limes, mangos, and avocado grow wild. Among the bird species, there are ducks, guinea hens, pigeons, and flamingoes. The reptile species include crocodiles, lizards, and boas. There are many endangered mammals and rodents, such as Haitian solenodon, the Hispaniolan hutia, and twisted-toothed mouse (McColl, 2014). Marine mammal fauna among others is represented by variety of dolphins and whales.
Society
Haiti has the second largest population in the Caribbean region. Half of the population is under age of 20. Average density of the population is 350 people per square kilometer. At the same time, the density of population is much higher in urban regions, coastal areas and valleys (Ciment & Ness, 2014). A lot of Haitians live abroad. Average life expectancy is 64 years (Ciment & Ness, 2014). Majority of the population works in the agriculture, mainly farming, fishing, and forestry. About 25 percent of labor force works in service sphere. Less than 10 percent of the population works in industrial production (Ciment & Ness, 2014). People also work in mining and manufacturing.
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Earthquakes in Haiti
Due to country’s poor infrastructure, natural disasters have severe societal impacts. The consequences of the earthquakes are among the worst ones. For example, during the earthquake in 2010, one-third of the population of the country was affected by natural disaster (Pallardy, 2018). Crimes, such as looting, became a frequent occurrence partly due to the absence of the necessary supplies and party due to the escape of couple of thousands of prisoners as the penitentiaries got damaged during the earthquake (Pallardy, 2018). The urban areas became extremely crowded with the people, which contributed to the development of the unsanitary conditions.
The infrastructure of the country was damaged even more by earthquake. All major healthcare facilities were destroyed, and it was difficult to provide proper treatment for the injured. As a result, surgical operations were performed without proper light and sufficient anesthetics. Many people did not have access to hospitals (Pallardy, 2018). People had to wait couple of days before they could get treatment. As the morgues were not prepared for the disaster, corpses were left on the streets. Many people were buried in mass graves, which made it impossible to estimate the exact death tolls. During the weeks after the disaster, more deaths occurred due to the untreated injuries of the survivors and shortage of medical personnel.
People also suffered from diseases, such as cholera (Pallardy, 2018). The Arthibonite River got infected with South Asian cholera bacteria. The disease was spread by the Nepalese UN peacekeeping forces, but since Haiti did not have proper medical conditions, water and waste management infrastructure, the population became inflected. Since 2010 till 2016, more than 770,000 Haitians suffered from cholera, and nearly 10,000 people died because of the disease (Pallardy, 2018). The access of the population to water became limited due to the earthquake. Other basic facilities, such as waste management, were also significantly undermined.
Demographics also contribute to the mortality and morbidity rates during natural disasters, including earthquakes. For example, women, girls, and people over 60 years old are more likely to become victims of the earthquake. Similarly, early adolescent youth and people who do not have many family members are also within the risk group (Paci-Green & Miles, 2011).
Another serious social problem created by the earthquake in Haiti is an increase of child exploitation, abuse, and trafficking (Pallardy, 2018). As many children become orphans when their parents died during or after the disaster, they were extremely vulnerable to various types of abuse. While the international community tried to help to solve the problem by adopting kids, Haitian government created obstacles. It wanted to make sure than the kids did not have relatives in Haiti. Such efforts made the process of adoption longer. Women at shelters also experienced violence and reported cases of rapes.
Many kids died in schools, as a result of buildings’ collapses. Nearly 40,000 students and 1,300 teachers died because of the earthquake (Paci-Green & Miles, 2011). Moreover, absence of schools results in lower academic achievements and psychological development. 29 percent of schools all over the country were destroyed and more than 50 percent damaged (Paci-Green & Miles, 2011). As a result, the educational system was seriously disrupted.
Natural disasters also result in massive damage to housing. Generally, low-income housing is located in hazardous areas and has poor construction conditions. These tendencies result in its damage and complications while rebuilding houses. For the low-income citizens, shelter can become a long-term place of living. In Haiti, the reconstruction process was slow. Two years after the earthquake, more than half a million residents were still living in shelters and camps. Some people stayed at camps as they were afraid to lose aid and benefits, they received at shelters. At the same time, many shelters did not provide proper conditions for its residents due to lack of sanitation facilities, absence of access to fresh water, or damage by heavy rains.
People also had limited employment opportunities. After the earthquake, less than one-third of the population had permanent jobs (Pallardy, 2018). The employment situation was worsened by the subsequent tropical storms, which damaged crop fields. As majority of the population is employed in agricultural sector, they were left without work.
The earthquake not only influenced the vital spheres such as medical or educational ones, but also undermined the governance of the country. For example, the presidential elections were delayed due to the consequences of the earthquake. Besides this, the turnout was low, which resulted in widespread electoral fraud. As a result, political instability became even bigger.
Conclusion
As a result, the geology and climate analysis of Haiti indicates that the country is vulnerable to natural disasters. Human activities, such as increased deforestation, and absence of proper infrastructure also contribute to the severity of natural disasters. The earthquakes remain the most dangerous natural disasters with the most negative societal consequences. For example, the earthquakes result in decrease of livelihood opportunities, limited access to job options, and undermined service provision. Hospitals and other medical facilities are not capable of operation properly. Schools are closed due to the damages. The outbreaks of the diseases are common. Finally, the exploitation and trafficking of children and abuse of women is frequent. Thus, the societal impacts of the earthquakes in Haiti are severe and they should be addressed to improve the living conditions of the population.
