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Why Haiti keeps getting hammered by disasters
Associated Press ^ | Thursday, January 24, 2010 | SETH BORENSTEIN

Posted on 01/14/2010 9:51:26 AM PST by presidio9

When it comes to natural disasters, Haiti seems to have a bull's-eye on it. That's because of a killer combination of geography, poverty, social problems, slipshod building standards and bad luck, experts say.

The list of catastrophes is mind-numbing: This week's devastating earthquake. Four tropical storms or hurricanes that killed about 800 people in 2008. Killer storms in 2005 and 2004. Floods in 2007, 2006, 2003 (twice) and 2002. And that's just the 21st Century run-down.

"If you want to put the worst case scenario together in the Western hemisphere (for disasters), it's Haiti," said Richard Olson, a professor at Florida International University who directs the Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas project.

"There's a whole bunch of things working against Haiti. One is the hurricane track. The second is tectonics. Then you have the environmental degradation and the poverty," he said.

This is the 15th disaster since 2001 in which the U.S. Agency for International Development has sent money and help to Haiti. Some 3,000 people have been killed and millions of people displaced in the disasters that preceded this week's earthquake. Since the turn of this century the U.S. has sent more than $16 million in disaster aid to Haiti.

While the causes of individual disasters are natural, more than anything what makes Haiti a constant site of catastrophe is its heart-tugging social ills, disaster experts say. It starts with poverty, includes deforestation, unstable governments, poor building standards, low literacy rates and then comes back to poverty.

This week's devastating quake comes as Haiti is still trying to recover from 2008, when it was hit four times by tropical storms and hurricanes, said Kathleen Tierney, director of the University of Colorado's Natural Hazard Center.

And while there is bad luck involved, former top FEMA official Mark Merritt,

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: earthquake; haiti; haitianearthquake; haitianeconomy; haitiearthquake; haitipoverty; haitiquake; haitiquake2010
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To: WOBBLY BOB

I was going to say “Now they’ll find a way to connect global warming and earthquakes.”

Then I looked it up. They already have.

Is there nothing that global warming doesn’t cause?


81 posted on 01/14/2010 11:12:11 AM PST by antiRepublicrat
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To: Dick Bachert

“The hearts and prayers of Americans always go out to those who suffer catastrophic events. Haiti is but the most recent example. American people and treasure are already flowing into that sad place, made sadder still by this earthquake.”

Beautifully said. Sadly, unless there are drastic changes to the governmental structure, all of the aid will come to naught; unless the corrupt politicians are booted to the curb.


82 posted on 01/14/2010 11:15:42 AM PST by Darnright (There can never be a complete confidence in a power which is excessive. - Tacitus)
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To: BelegStrongbow; All

Actually the Dominican Republic had its share of tyranny and dictators. Google the Trujillo dictatorship for more info. Also I don’t understand why the Admin Mods did not leave up an earlier, much longer post and comments under Breaking and Front Page News. See it here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2426839/posts


83 posted on 01/14/2010 11:29:10 AM PST by gleeaikin
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To: Reaganesque
The remaining population may want to consider moving. Shut the country down and find somewhere else to live.

They would all be in Miami in a heartbeat if they could.
84 posted on 01/14/2010 11:31:48 AM PST by Kozak (USA 7/4/1776 to 1/20/2009 Reqiescat in Pace)
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To: TADSLOS

...every February 29 things aren’t quite so bad.


85 posted on 01/14/2010 11:37:05 AM PST by Erasmus (She was a BBC newsreader, marrying above her station.)
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To: ari-freedom
“It isn’t because of Voodoo. We have a state religion (secular humanism/evolutionism) which is stupider than Voodoo and we don’t seem to suffer from repetitive disasters...

"The Next Six Bailouts?"

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2421698/posts

86 posted on 01/14/2010 11:42:59 AM PST by WOBBLY BOB (ACORN:American Corruption for Obama Right Now)
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To: Darnright

Thanks for the kind words.

Instead of booting them to the curb, to assure no repeat performances, they probably ought to be strung up — ala Mussolini — from the nearby light poles.


87 posted on 01/14/2010 11:43:07 AM PST by Dick Bachert (.THE 2010 PRECINCT MEETINGS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT IN OUR LIFETIMES. BE THERE!!)
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To: presidio9

What a wunnerful place to put the UN Hq. they’re used to disasters, 1 more will hurt as much as any other heretofore,,,,sarc.


88 posted on 01/14/2010 11:43:40 AM PST by Waco
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To: wendy1946; All

Regarding our “state religion” of secular humanism/evolutionism, perhaps you are failing to draw the right conclusion. Our founding fathers drew the sound conclusion that religion should be kept out of government as this country was a hotbed of religionists, many of whom disagreed heatedly with one another. Kind of like today. By keeping religion out of government, one major source of friction was reduced. Just study sunnis vs. shiites if you don’t believe me. Also they had the recent history of Protestantism vs. Catholicism in England to learn from.


89 posted on 01/14/2010 11:44:26 AM PST by gleeaikin
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To: presidio9

That Voodoo is bad ju-ju.


90 posted on 01/14/2010 11:51:42 AM PST by Doomonyou (Let them eat Lead.)
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To: DuncanWaring; All

I am reading a book about economic development which made a statement pertinent to your Japan example.

To become developed, you need education, organization, and discipline. Haitians when they overthrew the French had no education; destruction of the plantations ended the organization; and the only discipline they knew was the terror of whippings, mutilations and execution which were the disciplines the powerful leaders who arose understood, knew and exercised. The Japan situation was quite different. They had education, organization and discipline in spades, and our occupation only redirected it, not destroy it.


91 posted on 01/14/2010 12:01:28 PM PST by gleeaikin
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To: Dixie Yooper

The G-d Pat Robertson knows isn’t the G-d I know. Now that I think of it,he’d probably tell me that I’m going to hell because I’m a Jew.He should go back and re-read the Hebrew Bible,because it says otherwise.


92 posted on 01/14/2010 12:30:50 PM PST by POWERSBOOTHEFAN (Blessed Be The Name Of The Lord,For His Name Alone Is Exaulted)
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To: POWERSBOOTHEFAN

Pat Robertson is Christianity’s crazy old uncle we would like to keep up in the attic. Somehow he keeps getting out and finds a TV camera that’s turned on.


93 posted on 01/14/2010 12:39:07 PM PST by Dixie Yooper (Ephesians 6:11)
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To: mlizzy
there's nothing that's going to take a hit very well from a "delivered" powerful earthquake (in Haiti, California, or even Illinois).

It's not only the magnitude, it's what the people do, what they build and how good they are at helping each other. The 1906 SF quake was 7.8, almost ten times the magnitude of Haiti, and only 3,000 people died. A 5 magnitude quake can take down poorly built buildings, and there are hundreds every year. There are over a dozen earthquakes in the 7 magnitude every year and yet you rarely hear of death tolls like this.

Nature will do what nature does. The people will make the consequences of it better or worse. Haiti is way on the "worse" side.

94 posted on 01/14/2010 12:44:48 PM PST by antiRepublicrat
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To: Dixie Yooper

He makes Christians look bad.Very bad.


95 posted on 01/14/2010 12:52:13 PM PST by POWERSBOOTHEFAN (Blessed Be The Name Of The Lord,For His Name Alone Is Exaulted)
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To: Fiji Hill

I have lived in Jamaica, and St Lucia, and visited most of the other Caribbean islands, Bahama islands and Bermuda.

Leadership and government makes the difference in every case.
Just as we have in the US, respect for private property, ie. capitalism, or lack of same makes the difference.

For example, when the people of Jamaica became independent of Great Britain, many residents bought the concept that “free” meant that they did not have to obey any laws that did not appeal to them. The political environment used two mega trade unions as two political parties, and differences were solved with violence.

Add in the ease of exporting ganga and importing guns, and the rest as they say is history. Sad, because it is a beautiful and potentially-resource-rich country.

Chile is thriving; Venezuela is sinking. The difference? A government that supports the ownership of private property by its citizens.


96 posted on 01/14/2010 2:39:48 PM PST by maica (Freedom consists not in doing what we like,but in having the right to do what we ought. John Paul II)
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To: mlizzy
Could this withstand an earthquake hit? I'm betting they would depending on what is used as framing and how they are anchored.


97 posted on 01/14/2010 5:03:16 PM PST by WVNan
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To: WVNan
Oh, I don't know ... the whole country is such a mess ... but it's a dang good thing they've got saviors from America like Sanjay Gupta to perform "miracles." I just saw CNN coverage of "the tv doctor" applying a bandage and gauze wrapping to an infant who had a scalp laceration, and the commentators on CNN had tears in their eyes and exclaimed shaking their heads, "It's a miracle!"


98 posted on 01/14/2010 5:14:44 PM PST by mlizzy ("Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person" --Mother Teresa.)
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To: POWERSBOOTHEFAN

“He makes Christians look bad.Very bad.”

If you wouldn’t think of equating Al Sharpton with every other person in his minority group, why would you then equate Pat Robertson with every other person who follows Christianity?


99 posted on 01/14/2010 7:07:51 PM PST by Darnright (There can never be a complete confidence in a power which is excessive. - Tacitus)
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To: wolfman23601

Wait a minute! You’re on to something, but......there’s a better twist. Take over Haiti then.......cede it to Cuba! Let the Cubans run it! Bwahahahah!


100 posted on 01/15/2010 5:17:19 AM PST by glide625
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