Haiti Project

Rachel Koehn and Beatriz Sevilla
Ms. Stewart
HEnglish 11 pd. 4
11/15/10

The Truth About the Haiti Disaster
In the wake of the January 12th, 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the country seemed to be left shattered. Literally. Though with the undeniable willingness of the civilians and with the support of surrounding nations, Haiti was unified by this tragic event. Through their hard work, dedication, and loyalty, Haitians banned together to overcome the everyday struggles the earthquake provided with its destruction.
Video clips of the earthquake aftermath demonstrate the severity of the damages caused by the earthquake and its effects on the people who inhabit the island. The video clips also include footage of Haitian earthquake survivors. The survivors share their stories, filled with emotion and heartache, and the audience is able to relate to their feelings of helplessness and despair.
However, despite their feelings of helplessness, the Haitians are not hopeless. One source offered a quote that says, "Haitians are constructing roads to advance commerce and build a civil society rather than building boats to escape terror" (Talbott). This statement proves that the Haitians are determined to reconstruct the devastating destruction rather than give up due to lack of money, food, and shelter. Also, certain aspects of Haiti's culture seem to be never ending. According to George Nader Jr., "Haitian artists have proved astonishingly resilient, continuing to create, sell and survive through crisis after crisis," he said," when something bad happens, their imagination just seems to get better" (Brubaker). This exemplifies the strength in Haiti as a country able to overcome and bounce back after an unimaginable ordeal.
But Haitians are not the only people trying to refuel their nation. Americans are also helping in the fight against poverty and famine. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton said that two agreements were signed in the White House on September 20th ordering an assignment to rebuild an industrial park and the University Hospital of Haiti. These efforts will not only create copious jobs for Haiti's unemployed citizens, but will provide them with improved health care that is crucial to the country's recovery. Overall, the disturbing outcome of the Haiti earthquake did not phase the crumbling nation but instead brought the country together in the face of a disaster.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• medium