Haiti and World Topography:
The Republic of Haiti is a French speaking Carribean country. Sharing borders with Cuba and Dominican Republic. The Peninsula is surrounded by Atalntic Ocean on one side and Carribean Sea on two.
Haiti and World History:
Haiti is splended with inspiring independence tales being the first independent nation in Lat-Am. The only colony with a with a successful slave rebel, other rebels against the Polish and French,US occupancy and Dictatorship. The country not owns rich cultural heritage, the history justifies the national motto of 'unity'.
Haiti and Disaster Map:
4 Tropical Hurricanes [2008]
Killer storms in 2005 and 2004
Floods in 2007, 2006, 2003 (twice) and 2002
Reasons known to be a deadly combination of poverty, the topography of the country, socio-economic problems, close to 'zero' building standards/ disaster management/ environmental standards and poverty again.
Additonally, Haiti suffers from massive social deprivation and a high HIV/AIDS rate [~ 4.5 percent of the population] coupled with life expectancy of just ~52 years and scarce job scene.
Haiti and World Economics:
GDP: USD 11.57 Bln [nominal: 6.9 bln]
PCI: USD 1317 [nominal: 790]
making Haiti the poorest country in the western hemisphere.
World Bank sources that per capita income is considerably less than one-tenth the regional average. Half the population survives on subsistence agriculture and remittances from relatives working in the US and EU [flip side retaining HR for local infrastructural development is a 'to be or not to be' situation dropping disaster management way down government's priority list].
Lessons Haiti has taught us:
Say yes to:
1. Technology to detect early warning signals to disasters make new governmental focus [also a must in India though better we're not too far here]
2. Norms for building structures providing scope as disaster getaways.
Say no to:
1. Deforestation [in light of constantly forests shrinking to green zones and green zones shrinking to 'parks', its wake up time]
2. Concentrated population ['urbanisation' due to concentration of opportunites ---> densified population ----> weak disaster management performance]
Disaster Aid:
1. TPS:
US to grant Haitians the Temporary protected status apart from the much talked about financial aid. [TPS is an American provision that grants temporary protection from deportation to nationals of a country in which environmental or political events have occurred which make it temporarily unsafe to deport them or when armed conflict poses a serious threat to public safety.]
2. Red cross - IFRC is all over the place for non- governmental disaster aid operation and UN leaves no stone unturned in aid of and on behalf of member nations.
3. For helps you'd like to extend: [each drop makes the ocean]
The Haitian Embassy : Vellard View, Pedder Road, Mumbai- 400026. Telephone : (+91-22) 24973844 Faximile : (+91-22) 26326604
