Earthquake in Haiti Relief Efforts
Derek Brown
Grantham University On January 12, 2010, the island of Hispaniola was struck by a major earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale. Though the exact numbers will never be known, estimates placed the death toll at over 200,000 peoples and over 300,000 were injured. When disasters of this magnitude occur, disaster relief efforts should begin immediately, such as rescue efforts, providing food and water, building temporary housing structures to name a few. Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) play a vital role in humanitarian relief efforts. In situations like such as in the earthquake in Haiti, military, NGOs and local officials should meet immediately to form a control crisis center where all relief effort coordination should take place and mini center should be also established in areas throughout the affected area, with coordination orchestrated through the control crisis center, in doing so, all concerned can be advised of relief efforts; all should be playing from the same sheet of music, so to say. In Haiti, there were many lessons learned in which the need for the international community to engage more effectively with other key stakeholders, such as the military, local officials and other NGOs . As in the Doctors without Borders complained that the military presence at times actually interfered with the distribution of humanitarian aid. There could of been better communication with regard to reconstruction efforts; the failure of reconstruction left hundreds of thousands trapped in camps, susceptible to storms, disease, and violence brought on by frantic conditions. In my