Shaking and rumbling disturbed the morning routines of the people of Haiti on August 14, 2021. A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck in the southwest region of the nation shortly before 8:30 in the morning. Many Haitians already live in poverty due to past disasters, and this recent quake intensified their problems. 

Prior to the August 14th earthquake, Haitians struggled to survive. For years, the country has battled poverty, and eleven years ago, a 7.0 magnitude quake devastated the country and worsened the living conditions.

The majority of Haitians have little to no sanitation service. Cholera has taken around 10,000 lives since 2010, and over a third of the people also struggle to find enough food to survive. It is estimated that over 200,000 children suffer from moderate to severe malnutrition- and these statistics are all from before the August 14th quake. Additionally, the nation was still in turmoil over the assassination of their president in July, and gang violence was on the rise as a result. COVID-19 testing was sparse, and vaccines were not available until mid-July. Haiti was in no shape for the disaster that was about to hit them. 

Less than three days after the 7.2 earthquake, Tropical Depression Grace slammed the country with rain. Displaced people had nowhere to go and were forced to create shelters from whatever they could find. Since the ground soil was loosened from the shaking, landslides posed another problem. One such landslide blocked a critical highway being used to bring aid to the harder-hit region of the country. 

Reports show that over 2,000 people were killed and about 12,700 were injured. More than 130,000 homes, as well as close to sixty medical centers and numerous roads, were damaged or destroyed. Over 200,000 people lost access to safe drinking water, and the hospitals that survived were inundated with the injured and running low on supplies. 

Haiti has a long road to recovery ahead. Basic needs still have to be met for many people-food, water, clothes, and shelter. Humanitarian organizations are bringing aid, but it’s not nearly enough, and increased gang activity only makes their efforts more difficult. Even among the relief organizations, careful planning and coordination is needed. Only time will tell if Haiti can rebound from their latest disaster.