Haiti Earthquake Research Paper

Haiti has long been the western hemisphere's poorest nation, ultimately making it one of the poorest in the world. According to the World Bank, Haiti ranks 158th in terms of the Human Development Index(HDI), and has more than 50% of the country living in conditions of extreme poverty (World Bank). Haiti has continuously been hampered with problems ranging from politics & corrupt government, to overexploitation, and most recently natural disasters. Initially, Haiti was a French colony established in the late 15th century primarily for the purpose of extracting their resources (Morfa, 18). France throughout the 15th century was the richest colony in the world, and as a result, had the money necessary to import massive amounts of slaves into Haiti

Francois Duvalier was “unanimously elected President of Haiti in 1957 after an election in which he exiled his opponents” (St. Hubert, 31). “Papa Doc” as he is commonly referred to as for his medical background was caught re-directing foreign aid from U.S. and other countries into offshore bank accounts all throughout his presidency. Needless to say, he was not the man Haiti expected him to be and he ultimately drove Haiti into an economic downfall. Last but certainly not least important, in 2010 the fragile foundations of the country were decimated by an earthquake that struck a 7.0Mw on the Richter Scale (World Bank). The result was catastrophic, nearly a quarter million people died (World Bank). Buildings all over the historic capital city of Port-Au-Prince were reduced to piles of rubble, and refugees sought shelter for the most part in the hills surrounding the city (Sontag, 8). Immediate effects of the quake were followed by many commonalities such as cholera(an infectious waterborne disease), starvation, and as a result of the aforementioned, worsened malnutrition. There has been a culmination of factors and events that have left Haiti in dire need of legitimate aid, both long term and