A year has passed, but the magnitude of the devastation in Haiti from a 7.0 earthquake is still being felt.
The earthquake rattled the desperately poor island nation Jan. 12, 2010.
Today, the Haitian government estimates that as many as 300,000 died. Many are still buried under rubble and not yet identified. Entire neighborhoods were wiped out. Among those who survived, more than 1 million of the island’s 9.7 million residents are estimated to remain homeless.
As is so often the case in immense tragedy, humanity showed its better side. The global reaction was swift and comprehensive.
In the months since there have been complaints that too many of the 10,000 aid organizations worked at cross purposes or that only $1.2 billion of the pledged $10 billion in aid has been allocated.
Such complaints, however, speak more to the size of the problems and difficulties of solutions than to any lack of humanitarian spirit. Haiti needed help before the earthquake, for everything from building a functioning government and working infrastructure to feeding the starving.
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