The Gown Student Newspaper at Queen's University Belfast

COMMENT: Horror strikes Haiti

On January 12th 2010, the world got a deadly reminder as to just how destructive nature can be. For the people of Haiti, it came without warning and left a trail of devastation in its wake. While earthquakes are nothing new to the island, this latest vicious seismic event was the worst the country has seen in 200 years. It measured 7.0 on the Richter scale with its epicentre being 16 miles west of the island’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and its focus has been noted as approximately 8 miles underground. The earthquake was followed by 33 aftershocks ranging from 5.0 to 5.9 according to the United States Geological Survey.

BY DON MCDERMOTT

The capital, along with so much of the island, was destroyed. Many of the country’s most famous landmarks were severely damaged or wiped out as a result, with the Presidential Palace and National Assembly being two such examples that succumbed to the brute force of the earthquake. This prompted Elizabeth Myers of the UN to describe the event as the biggest disaster the UN has had to deal with. Initial estimates of a death toll of between 45,000 to 50,000 have been revised to 200,000 and a further 3 million are suspected to have been affected in some way by this unbelievable tragedy. Many of the dead are high profile members of the Haiti government and other important figures. The scenes of children crying in the street brings home the scale of horror and pain the earthquake has caused. It is unbearable to watch the pain etched in locals faces as they try to come to terms with the sudden and senseless loss of loved ones and homes. But as heartbreaking as it is to see such needless and unwarranted destruction, it is important that the world does not turn their backs on the people of Haiti when they need them the most. We have seen before how much good can be accomplished when we work together to help those affected by natural disasters, in the case of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami for example. We need to come together once again to stand behind Haiti in a show of solidarity and to let them know the world will not forget. The fact is that although the initial impact of the earthquake has struck, the consequences of such will be felt for some time to come. Haiti, being that it is one of the poorest countries in the world, will be more prone to some of the knock on events of such a catastrophic event. With bodies lying in the street, the threat of disease and hunger is now at its highest level in the country, making it all the more important that clean water is made available, along with the proper medical aid. Fear and desperation can also cause huge problems as people resort to violence and crime to try to save themselves and their families. Other stories coming out of Haiti tell of how in the days after the earthquake first hit, women were walking the streets singing and clapping as a sign of togetherness while others attended church services held outside destroyed churches. When you hear stories like this, it is easy to see how Haiti devised its national motto, ‘L’Union Fair La Force’, which translates as ‘Strength through Unity’. Now it up to us, the rest of the world, and our leaders, to unite behind the cause as well.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 at 12:30 am and is filed under Features, News, Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.