Karimi 1
Amal Karimi
Professor Santos
GEOL-111 Sec 02
27 August 2021
Chapter 1 News Assignment
The article discusses the devastating effect of the earthquake on Haiti’s nation that occurred on the 23rd of August 2021 with a magnitude of 7.2 on the Richter scale. The earthquake resulted in the death of more than 2000 Haitian people. The Prime Minister states that the country was on its knees, and the survivors of the quake were frustrated because of the slow pace at which the relief aid was arriving. Mr. Henry had flown to the southwestern city of Ley Cayes, where more than 100,000 people were reeling from the impact of the earthquake. He conceded that his country was in trouble, and a large part of the south of the country was in dire need of aid. Dozens of people walked to Ley Cayes airport to demand food after helicopters arrived with supplies. The police had to intervene to enable trucks carrying food to move to other parts of the country. The residents complained that even though it had rained the previous night, the government had not made an effort to ensure they received any form of assistance. The Haitian authorities later reported the death toll to have risen to 2189. Concerns were also raised about the lack of accessibility of some remote areas due to the destruction of the access roads. A local judge rebuked the government for its cavalier approach to assisting residents. The government has done little to prepare for the disaster. Haiti is ranked as the poorest country in the Americas region, and it has yet to fully recover from the 2010 quake where more than 200,000 people died. The current earthquake happened just after Haiti’s president had been assassinated. One of the Haiti Civil protection agency officials revealed that even though aid had not reached many areas, they were making an effort to ensure it got delivered. The citizens are urged not to block convoys carrying humanitarian assistance because at least 600,000 people need help, and 135,000 families have been displaced.
The earthquake is a sad event for Haiti because it has not fully recovered from the one in 2010. The earthquake has resulted in death and destruction, and the government cannot assist the victims because it does not have adequate resources.
The incidents of earthquakes in Haiti is not a unique event. The frequency of the earthquake is attributed to Haiti sitting at the juncture of two tectonic plates. The North American and the Caribbean plate. The large pieces of the earth are atop magma where there is a lot of pressure beneath the leaves shove into each other, causing earthquakes.
Works Cited
Gottesdiener, Laura. “Quake leaves Haiti ‘on its knees’ as impatience grows over lack of aid.” Reuters, 19 Aug. 2021, www.reuters.com/world/americas/haitians-sheltering-tents-grow-impatient-aid-after-devastating-quake-2021-08-18/.