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The 2010 Haiti earthquake is one of the worst natural disasters the country has ever faced in its modern history. According to Valcik and Tracy (2017), the earthquake, which had a catastrophic magnitude of over 7.0 Mw, found the country unprepared to deal with such a serious natural disaster. The incident took place on a Tuesday, January 12, 2010, at about 16:53 local time (Townes, Gerber, & Anderson, 2018).
At that time, the country was faced with various socio-economic and political concerns and the economy was growing at a modest rate. The response to the earthquake and calamities that followed was a clear demonstration that the country was ill-prepared to deal with such a disaster. Although the international community held that the death toll was about 100 to about 160 people, the government of Haiti estimated that about 250,000 to 316,000 people lost their lives (Gelb & Diofasi, 2018). The official government records show that the earthquake destroyed hundreds of thousands of residences, commercial buildings, and government offices. Over 3 million people were left without shelter following the incident.
The emergency response to the Haiti earthquake by the government and private players within the country was considered underwhelming. According to Clarke and Dercon (2016), the incident demonstrated to the international community how most of the developing economies around the world are poorly prepared to deal with major disasters. It struck the most populated urban center in the country, which explains why a high number of people were affected. The earthquake destroyed numerous government offices, paralyzing national and local government’s capacity to respond to the disaster.
The transport infrastructure, especially the road system and airports were destroyed, which hampered the ability of rescue teams to respond to the distress calls. Wyss (2014) explains that the high death toll was caused by the inability of the government to respond immediately to the calamity. Many people died several hours after the quake because they could not get the emergency medical support they needed. In this paper, the researcher seeks to discuss the emergency response to the Haiti earthquake, with a special focus on humanitarian issues necessary to improve the quality of services offered to the affected population
The rationale of the Study
Natural disasters have been experienced in different parts of the world over the past centuries. The magnitude and impact on humanity vary depending on various factors. According to Meyer and Kunreuther (2017), it is not possible to prevent these events from happening. It is also not possible to have a precise prediction on when some of these disasters would happen until a few hours or even minutes before it strikes. Schuller (2016) explains that events such as earthquakes are not easy to predict. These natural disasters affect both developed and developing countries around the world. Given the fact that these undesirable events cannot be predicted, it is necessary to have effective mitigation plans on how to deal with them.
A government can reduce the number of fatalities by ensuring that instruments of response, including humanitarian workers, are fully prepared to offer an effective response to these disasters. The Haiti earthquake of 2010 was a perfect case study of how disastrous natural calamities can be if a country is ill-prepared to deal with the incident. The United States and Japan are some of the countries, which have suffered similar major natural calamities over the recent past. However, these two developed countries did not have such a high death toll.
In the 2017 tropical cyclone that hit the United States, slightly less than 3,000 people were killed (Gelb & Diofasi, 2018). The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake followed by a major Tsunami claimed slightly more than 17,000 lives. It is important to note that the two countries did not require direct and immediate foreign aid to respond to the disaster. They were able to use their internal disaster response measures to manage the condition and reduce further casualties.
In Haiti, it took the intervention of the United States, European Union, Cuba, individual celebrities around the world, and international humanitarian organizations to respond to the problem. The poor coordination of the emergency response team was also blamed for devastating cholera that further affected the lives of Haitians struggling to deal with the situation.
Discussion
Emergency response in cases of natural calamities is critical in reducing the death toll and human suffering among the affected population. However, Schuller (2016) explains that the effectiveness of such a response depends on the level of preparation of the emergency response unit. Before the 2010 earthquake, the most common natural disasters in the country included tropical storms, hurricanes, torrential rainfall, and flooding primarily because of its geographic location.
The last major earthquake in the country was in 1976, and it did not cause numerous deaths (Madry, 2015). As such, the government was not prepared to deal with such a devastating natural disaster. The situation was worsened by the fact that it struck the country’s most populous urban center. The water and sewerage system was destroyed, the road and rail infrastructure was paralyzed, and the major airports were incapacitated by the quake.
One of the first responses made by the Haitian government soon after realizing the magnitude of the impact was to declare the incident a national disaster and seek immediate international intervention. Schuller (2016) argues that the Haitian government was overwhelmed by the incident. It had to get the support of the international community to help its people directly or indirectly affected by the incident. Wyss (2014) explains that one of the worst-case scenarios when responding to an emergency is to rely on foreign aid.
In such a case, those who need immediate aid would be forced to wait for the foreign government to seek permission from other arms of the government, assemble the response team and resources, and send the team to the country. Time is often critical in such cases. Waiting for too long for the help to arrive may spell doom for those in need of emergency aid. In this section, the researcher focused on discussing the response to the Haiti disaster and steps that various authorities and agencies could have taken in response to the disaster.
Early Warning Mechanisms
Early warning mechanisms can help in reducing casualties and the level of destruction in cases of natural disasters. The ability to plan for a disaster effectively depends on the capacity to get information early enough before the incident happens. In such a case, the emergency and response team would have the ability to plan on the best way to respond. Humanitarian actions such as a timely evacuation of people can help prevent loss of lives or serious injuries.
However, it is unfortunate that detecting earthquakes is not possible. United States Geological Survey has reported that there are still no precise ways of detecting earthquakes early enough to help in the preparation process (Townes et al., 2018). Geologists are often unable to predict such occurrences or places that will be affected until the earthquake strikes. It means that early evacuation is not an option when dealing with a major earthquake such as that which occurred in Haiti. In cases where the natural disaster cannot be predicted, Meyer and Kunreuther (2017) explain that the humanitarian community should have better systems that can anticipate such events and put measures that would respond to the emergency.
It is necessary to determine how the humanitarian community could have better anticipate the disaster. As explained in the introduction section of this report, the government of Haiti and all its agencies did not anticipate such an event and they were least prepared to deal with it. As such, the number of casualties was high and the poor response soon led to the outbreak of cholera, which worsened the already bad situation and slowed the rate at which the international community could deal with the aftermath of the earthquake. As Schuller (2016) explains, planning is critical when dealing with disasters because it equips the team with the critical skills needed to address a given issue.
Early warning, which is critical when trying to prevent such disasters, was not an option in the case of an earthquake. However, that does not stop a country from having an effective response plan. It is necessary to look at what the Haitian government, through various relevant agencies, would have done differently in this case of a natural disaster.
The humanitarian community could have had a better outcome in their mitigation process if they had followed a proper response plan. According to Valcik and Tracy (2017), when the international community responded to the request for help made by the government, there was no proper coordination of their activities. The American Red Cross, Oxfam, UNICEF, Doctors without Borders, and Cuban doctors are some of the numerous agencies that went to Haiti to help the victims. However, the government did not provide the needed leadership to ensure that the activities of these agencies were coordinated to achieve the best outcome.
Each agency operated independently to achieve a specific aim they set. In case of a similar event, the following model would be critical in coordinating the response and ensuring that the targeted goal of helping the masses out of the catastrophe is achieved to the best level possible.
The first step is to have a committed leadership that understands what needs to be achieved when responding to the disaster. A specific department within the government should coordinate the activities of all agencies responding to the disaster. Defining the leadership of the response team provides focus and ways through which activities can be done in a coordinated manner. The next step is to set policies and objectives.
The leadership should set goals that the intervention plan should achieve and policies that would help in every stage of the implementation. When policies and objectives are clear, the leadership should then define the organization of the response unit and the resources that would be needed at various phases of the implementation. Contractors and suppliers who will be responsible for undertaking various activities and providing relevant resources should also be identified.
The leadership would be required to define the risk that should be managed. In this case, the focus would be to rescue victims of the earthquake and help restore normalcy in the city. Implementation and monitoring is the critical stage where the plan would be put into action. Different teams would be expected to undertake different responsibilities but in a coordinated manner. The level of success of each team would depend on the level of preparedness (availability of the needed resources, prior knowledge on how to respond, accessibility of the affected areas, and the support that they get from the relevant authorities in the country).
Schuller (2016) suggests that during the implementation phase, the team should work closely with local government agencies. The final phase is the assessment and continuous improvement. The assessment team should focus on determining how effective the objectives have been achieved within a specific period and measures that various agencies can take to improve the outcome. Figure 1 below summarizes the steps that the humanitarian groups could have taken to reduce fatalities in the Haiti earthquake.
Preparedness Measures
Natural disasters such as earthquakes are unpredictable and their impact may vary depending on their magnitude and the affected area. When it comes to managing risks such as that of the Haiti earthquake, the government should be ready to play a major role in undertaking different activities. The process is continuous and it does not begin on the day of the emergency. Such an event should find the relevant agencies fully prepared, unlike what happened during the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The model in figure 2 below should the cyclic process of a strategic emergency management plan.
Reduce risk
Prevention is always the best way of dealing with major disasters. Schuller (2016) explains that if the government and all the relevant stakeholders can prevent a disaster from occurring, then it should be considered because it is the least costly approach to managing disasters. However, that option is not always available when dealing with natural disasters such as earthquakes. The focus of the team should focus on reducing risks.
Commercial and residential structures should meet specific guidelines to ensure that they meet quality standards that withstand various disasters such as strong earthquakes. According to Meyer and Kunreuther (2017), countries such as Japan and the United States have introduced new standards that must be met by commercial and residential structures that can withstand strong winds, floods, and earthquakes. These measures are taken to ensure that in case of a major disaster, the number of victims would be as low as possible as these structures will offer security instead of being deathtraps as was the case in Haiti.
Operational readiness and coordinated approach
Preparedness is critical when dealing with emergencies caused by natural disasters. In Haiti, it became evident that the national and local authorities were not prepared to deal with such a major calamity. It explains why it escalated to the level where cholera became another issue that society had to grapple with during the period. Anticipating such, an event would mean the government is ready to help the affected and restore systems and structures within the region.
The multi-agency response team should focus on humanitarian needs such as rescuing those who are trapped in rubbles, providing emergency medical care to those who are injured, and providing food and shelter to those who have been displaced from their homes (Valcik & Tracy, 2017). Immediate measures should be taken to restore the supply of clean water and the functionality of the sewer system in case they were destroyed by the disaster.
Each of these responsibilities may fall in different governmental departments. However, they have to be coordinated within the shortest period after the incident. If such steps had been taken during the Haiti earthquake, the cholera outbreak would not have been an issue. As such, the death toll would have been lower than what was recorded in the country. A report by Schuller (2016) shows that despite the massive support that the country received from the international community, about 50,000 people are still homeless following the earthquake. The report blames the lack of coordination in the response, where some agencies ended up duplicating what others had done, such as providing medical help, and in the process, some important needs were ignored.
Integrated response by the identified strategic priorities
When disaster strikes, the team should respond in an integrated approach based on the developed plan. Wyss (2014) advises that different government departments under one central command should make the response. Any foreign aid, if necessary, should be directed to a specific department. For instance, all the medical assistance that comes from another country should be channeled through a specific ministry.
The Cuban doctors, Doctors without Borders, and the medical supplies from the United States should have been channeled through the Ministry of Health. The government is in the best position to execute its emergency management plan hence it should coordinate activities of the international aid organizations. However, the reports show that these foreign agencies were operating with minimal guidance from the government. Having a central command during the response process ensures that duplication of work is eliminated. Extra resources can easily be directed to other areas that have been ignored.
Restoration or continuity of operations
The last stage is the restoration where the emergency response team would focus on restoring conditions to the level they were before the incident. According to Meyer and Kunreuther (2017), natural disasters such as major earthquakes, tsunamis, tropical cyclones, torrential rainfall, and flooding often destroy homes and business premises. It may not be possible to restore such homes and business premises to the conditions they were before the incident. That would be the responsibility of insurance companies (Townes et al., 2018). However, the emergency response team would focus on restoring normalcy. Providing shelters for those rendered homeless is one such step that should be taken.
Having simple homes for the masses would be critical in incidences where numerous homes were brought down. When possible, financial aid may also be provided to the affected population to ensure that they can support themselves when the response team withdraws their services. Madry (2015) argues that in some cases continuity of operations may be needed to ensure that essential services such as medication would still be available. As shown in figure 2 below, environmental scan, leadership engagement, all-hazards risk assessment, training and exercise, capability improvement process, and performance assessment are critical in this emergency management continuum.
Disaster Mitigation
When the planning is complete, the team will be expected to take into consideration specific actions that would help reduce casualties and restore conditions to normalcy soon after the earthquake. A similar incident such as that of the Haiti earthquake should be handled differently in terms of steps that the government should take. The mitigation plan should be taken in three steps, which are before, during, and after the earthquake. This section of the paper discusses what should be done at these three critical stages.
Actions before the disaster
Steps were taken before a major earthquake define the impact of the disaster on a given population. First, the general population must know how to behave in case of an earthquake. Valcik and Tracy (2017) explain that drilling is very important. Schools, workplaces, and worship centers are some of the best social gatherings where such training should be conducted. Students should be instructed on how to behave in case of a major quake when at home or school. They need to know places to avoid soon or during the earthquake. They should be told never to focus on valuables during an emergency and only focus on their safety and that of those close to them.
Students need to know how to inform authorities of such emergencies and work with others to help those who are in need soon after the earthquake. The same message should be passed to people at the workplace and those in worship centers. Using both the mass and social media platforms to promote awareness campaigns about these disasters would be critical. The aim would be to ensure that people to how to act to enhance human safety.
The government has a role to play during this initial stage before an earthquake. Schuller (2016) says that the government is responsible for developing new construction measures that take into consideration such major disasters. The construction authority should ensure that buildings within the country, especially the toll commercial and residential buildings, meet the new construction standards. They should be capable of withstanding earthquakes of high magnitudes, strong winds, floods, and other disasters. They should also be equipped with an emergency response system to save lives and fight a fire.
The department of disaster response should have well-trained personnel that can respond to major disasters effectively and within a short period. They should also have the right equipment that they can use during the process of rescuing victims of the disaster. Meyer and Kunreuther (2017) believe that it is not prudent to have all the disaster response systems within one city. The system should be decentralized to ensure that when a major city is affected, the system available in other cities can be brought in to help the affected population. The government should have different units responsible for different tasks such as providing emergency medical care, relief food, evacuation, counseling, financial restoration, or any other services that would be relevant.
Actions during the disaster
When disaster strikes, which in this case was a major earthquake, Wyss (2014) explains that specific actions can help reduce the number of fatalities in the affected area. The actions taken during the earthquake depend on the kind of planning that the affected population received. As explained in the section above, the first phase of disaster preparedness is to empower members of the public. They have the best capacity to protect themselves by taking the right safety actions. During the earthquake, the government may not have the capacity to respond soon enough to avoid fatalities. People at home, school, or workplace environments have to make the right decisions that would enhance their safety. When one is in the house, Meyer and Kunreuther (2017) explain that they should remain calm and avoid any attempt to rush outside a building. They should seek refuge under strong furniture and avoid windows. One should avoid using the elevator at all costs because it may be stuck.
When one is outdoors during the earthquake, Valcik and Tracy (2017) say that it is important to remain there until normalcy is restored. One should not try to get back to the house. An individual should avoid being close to trees, buildings, electric poles, or any other structure that may fall. It is also prudent to avoid lighting fire during or soon after the earthquake because sometimes the gas pipes may be broken during violent quakes. If the earthquake finds one in a car, they should stop as soon as possible when it is safe to do so. One should avoid parking the car in an overpass, underpass, near a tree, next to a building, or in any other place where there will be the risk of falling objects.
When one is trapped under the debris, Schuller (2016) states that it is important to stay calm. They should avoid forcing their way out or moving around. Instead, they would need to cover their mouth and nose to avoid breathing in dust, and when things are settled, they would need to tap the walls or call out for help. These life-saving tips need to be learned through public awareness campaigns.
Actions after the disaster
After the earthquake, the victims should take immediate safety precautions before the arrival of help from different authorities. Madry (2015) explains that one should examine self to determine if they have sustained injuries during the incident. If necessary, one should get first aid before being rushed to the hospital for further treatment. Water, gas, and electric lines should be shut off until authorities can ascertain that it would be safe to turn them off. Those who are indoors should move out of buildings and stay away from any structure that is at risk of falling. Those who are living in the coastal areas should evacuate from those areas because there is always the possibility of a tsunami soon after a major earthquake. Victims should call authorities as soon as possible and explain the situation, stating the nature of the help that would be needed.
The government and all governmental agencies responsible for managing emergencies can only act after the earthquake. Given that this natural disaster cannot be predicted and that it lasts just for some seconds or a few minutes, the response team is often expected at the site a few minutes after the incident. Townes et al. (2018) believe that the faster the emergency management team can arrive at the site of the incident, the higher the chances that victims would be rescued from the debris. Having the right equipment and well-trained personnel that can deal with the situation is critical. The primary goal of the initial emergency response team would be the rescue mission.
Their primary focus should be to rescue as many people as possible from the debris. Those who need further medical emergency services should be taken to the hospital. A further humanitarian response such as the provision of temporary shelter to those whose homes were destroyed, provision of food, clothing, and any other basic needs should come next. These humanitarian services after a major earthquake are discussed in the section below.
It is important to note that during the Haiti earthquake of 2010, the three steps discussed above were not followed, which is partly to blame for the huge number of people who lost their lives. A report by Wyss (2014) shows that many Haitians who were affected by the disaster did not know how to act because of limited knowledge about the earthquake. Reports showed that most of them tried to rush out of the buildings, and were trapped by the falling debris. Others even tried to rescue some valuables from the falling houses, increasing the number of casualties. In the third stage where the government was expected to act immediately to rescue victims, reports indicate that it took long for the services to arrive because of bad roads and poor preparations.
Use of Humanitarian Response Standards and Indicators
When responding to a major natural disaster such as the Haiti earthquake of 2010, Meyer and Kunreuther (2017) explain that it is important to use humanitarian response standards and indicators. The goal should be to offer the best support to the victims based on international standards. Fatalities and suffering should be reduced as much as possible. The team responding to the disaster should know what is expected of them at every stage of the implementation. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees has set specific standards and indicators that should guide humanitarian response to such major disasters. The following are the main indicators and standards that should be observed.
Acute malnutrition threshold
When people have been rescued from the immediate threat of the disaster, one of the first standards that should be observed is the acute malnutrition threshold. Clarke and Dercon (2016) explain that when victims are displaced and have no means of getting basic needs, one of the greatest threats is acute malnutrition. The response team should act with speed to ensure that food and clean water are made available to avoid starvation. Children and the elderly are at the greatest risk of acute malnutrition in such cases of emergency. In Haiti, this threshold was met. The American Red Cross, Oxfam, UNICEF, and many other international agencies provided food and water to the affected population, eliminating the risk of starvation.
Camp planning standards
Another critical indicator is camp planning standards. The Haiti earthquake left millions of people homeless in one of the main cities in the country. The humanitarian response team had to take immediate measures to ensure that the shelter was provided to the affected group. Constructing permanent homes for the victims may take several months or years. In some cases, it may not be within the budget of the humanitarian agency. As such, putting up camps is critical as an immediate measure to protect the affected groups. These camps should provide basic shelter for the victims. The temporary shelters should meet specific standards.
They should protect the victims from direct sunlight, rainfall, cold, and provide a sense of privacy. The humanitarian team that was working in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake managed to provide basic shelter to the victims.
Disease surveillance threshold
Disease surveillance is another standard that the team is expected to meet. In cases of a major natural disaster such as an earthquake, the damage to the infrastructure such as sewerage and water systems may have a serious medical impact on the population. The fact that many are often left homeless also increases the risk of the victims contracting different diseases. Valcik and Tracy (2017) state that the team responding to the humanitarian crisis should conduct regular surveillance to determine if there is a major outbreak of a disease. The goal is to detect the problem so that immediate interventions can be taken to address the problem.
The Haiti earthquake humanitarian response team performed poorly based on this threshold. It took longer for them to realize that victims were at risk of contracting cholera. Malaria was another common problem that the team faced because of poor surveillance.
Emergency hygiene
Hygiene is another common problem when dealing with a humanitarian crisis such as that of Haiti. This standard was also not met effectively by the humanitarian agencies in the country. The sewer and water systems were damaged during the earthquake. It meant that the city did not have access to clean water and they had to find alternative measures to replace the sewer system. The government was incapacitated by the incident, and could not replace these systems within a short period. The resulting poor hygiene caused by the inability to dispose of human wastes effectively was blamed for the cholera outbreak, which occurred soon after the earthquake. The waste management agencies were not effective enough to meet international standards.
Medical care standards
The medical team had a critical role to play in the rescue and recovery mission in the country. Those who were rescued from the falling debris needed emergency medical services. After the cholera outbreak, it was also necessary for the medical team to attend to the victims (Townes et al., 2018). The standard was met effectively. The Cuban doctors worked closely with local agencies to provide emergency medical needs. Doctors without Borders also did an excellent job of attending to the victims of the earthquake. Although the surveillance was poor, the medical team responded to different cases of medical needs efficiently. Their quick actions reduced the rate of mortality to very low levels, saving lives in the city.
Funding Mechanisms
The Haiti earthquake of 2010 attracted the attention of the international community specifically because of the impact it had on the locals. Charitable organizations in the United States, Europe, Central America, Asia, and other parts of the world offered to help. When Raymond Joseph, the ambassador of Haiti to the United States appealed to the international community requesting urgent help, the American Red Cross was the first foreign organization to respond.
This charitable organization appealed to donors in the United States to support its efforts in Haiti. The United States government also gave a direct financial donation to the government of Haiti to help in addressing some of the basic needs. The European Union, through its European Council, donated over $ 600 million through various United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations, the Red Cross, the European Gendarmerie, and entities that were actively involved in the rescue mission.
The donation made by the European Union was meant to address specific humanitarian needs, and a limited amount was channeled through the government of the affected country. The donor organization believed that the humanitarian agencies in the country had the best capacity to deliver the needed help for the victims without diverting funds to other irrelevant entities. Organization of American States donated $ 100,000 to the government of Haiti.
The Union of South American Nations donated $ 300 million to help in restoration programs (Gelb & Diofasi, 2018). Members of this organization agreed that the donation should be spent on reconstructing damaged infrastructure, especially the vital roads linking the city to other parts of the country. The United Nations, through the World Bank, donated $ 100 million, which was meant to help in the recovery programs in the country. The Security Council sent 3,500 troops to support various activities in the country and enhance security. UNICEF, World Health Organization, World Food Program, and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs are the other United Nations agencies that made direct material and personnel support to Haiti earthquake victims.
Celebrities in the United States and around the world also made donations through United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations, and directly to the government. Some of the notable contributions include Jean-Claude Duvalier who donated $ 8,000,000, Tiger Woods who gave $ 3,000,000, Gisele Bündchen who donated $ 1,500,000, Leonardo DiCaprio who gave US$1,000,000, Sandra Bullock who donated US$1,000,000, Angelina Jolie, and Brad Pitt who donated US$1,000,000 (Wyss, 2014).
Other personalities who gave financial support towards this course include Jennifer Aniston, Elon Musk, Queen Elizabeth II, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Denis O’Brien, and Charlie Simpson (Townes et al., 2018). Online communities also responded positively to the plea for help. Avaaz donated $ 800,000, Reddit gave $ 178,000, while Bailfast4Haiti raised £37,000 (Gelb & Diofasi, 2018). Other online communities that helped raise funds for the course include GSN, Roblox, myYeakbook, and GaiaOnline.
The response for the financial help was good and the country received a pledge of $ 4.5 billion out of which $ 3.5 billion had been received by 2013 (Valcik & Tracy, 2017). Various humanitarian programs were still ongoing at the time when the above estimate was given, which means that more funds were received. The positive response was partly attributed to the quick decision that the government made to seek international support in managing the crisis.
How these donations were given also made it difficult for them to be misappropriated. Schuller (2016) explains that corruption is a major concern in Haiti. Instead of allowing government officials to spend the money, the United Nations agencies, the Red Cross, and other non-governmental agencies were directly involved in assisting the victims. As such, the funding had a direct impact on the lives of those who were affected.
Accountability of Humanitarian Actors
When providing humanitarian services to victims of a major natural disaster, accountability is one of the most important indicators of success. All the donated resources had to be used in addressing specific needs within the affected area. According to Townes et al. (2018), misappropriation of resources is one of the greatest challenges that such humanitarian response teams face. In the years preceding the earthquake, Haiti had not been ranked among the least corrupt countries.
Transparency International had ranked the country as one of those which are worst affected by the problem of corruption. Most of the donations that the government had received from the international community for developmental projects would be spent on unrelated projects. Government officials would also enrich themselves from such donations without taking into account the needs of the poor. As such, major donors were keen on ensuring that the resources were used specifically to address the needs of victims of the earthquake. The accountability towards donors and beneficiaries had to be met.
Donors were keen on ensuring that their contributions were spent in helping those who were affected by the disaster. As such, most of the agencies that received these donations developed elaborate plans that outlined how the money was spent. Oxfam International, one of the agencies that played a major role in the recovery mission, developed a budget that explained how every cent was spent in the program. They outlined how donations from various charitable organizations were used to support specific activities. The American Red Cross, which played a major role in the rescue mission, developed similar documents to enable donors and the international community to understand how money was spent.
The UNICEF and other United Nations agencies present in Haiti also provided a regular update to the United Nations Secretariat on how they spent the resources assigned to them (Gelb & Diofasi, 2018). The government of Haiti also developed its report that summarized how different agencies used their resources to meet specific needs. In this case, the government played the role of an auditor. It helped the international community to confirm that the agencies working in the country spent the donations on activities that benefited victims of the incident. Accountability to the donors mainly focused on ensuring that all the resources contributed by different entities were used prudently to help those who were affected by the natural disaster.
Accountability to the beneficiaries was also critical. In this case, it was necessary to ensure that humanitarian agencies focused on critical issues that were of concern to the victims. Soon after the earthquake, the immediate concern was the rescue mission. Those who were trapped under the rubbles had to be rescued and emergency medical needs provided to save their lives. When everyone has been rescued and emergency medical needs met, the next area of focus was shelter and nutrition. They needed basic needs after being rendered homeless. The humanitarian agencies then had to focus on the recovery programs. The international community was successful in meeting these needs based on their level of urgency.
Response Coordination Mechanisms
Coordination was essential when responding to the emergency caused by the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The transport infrastructure was paralyzed, making it difficult for the response team to undertake various activities. As such, the government helped in coordinating various activities. The fact that the humanitarian agencies were from different countries meant that there was no central command. The American Red Cross, Oxfam International, UNICEF, and the contingent of Cuban doctors are different agencies, but they had to work as a unit in Haiti. For instance, Doctors without Borders had to inform Cuban doctors about the personnel support they needed.
The separation of duties was crucial to avoid duplication of work. As such, the American Red Cross would know when to take a victim to Cuban doctors or Doctors without Borders based on injuries sustained. The government moved in to provide the needed coordination. Tasks were assigned to specific agencies based on their specialization and the level of devastation (Gelb & Diofasi, 2018). The coordinated approach of responding to the disaster improved the outcome of humanitarian activities.
The Supply Chain Management
Supply chain management was another critical area that the response team had to focus on to achieve the desired success. Wyss (2014) explains that in cases of emergency, it is important to ensure that resources are acquired and used effectively for specific purposes. The resources used in this case came from donors around the world. The donations mainly came in the form of financial support. However, the agencies did not have to give out money to the victims. They had to use the donations to purchase food, clothing, medical supplies, construction materials, and other products needed by the victims. Upon the receipt of the donations, the agencies purchased various supplies from different countries to meet the local needs. The government of Haiti helped them by providing transport equipment.
The United Nations also provided trucks to help in the transportation of supplies to the affected locations. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees played a critical role in providing large containers, which were used as warehouses to store food, medical supplies, and other materials used in the field. Most of the agencies responding to the disaster had elaborate supply chain systems and did not have any major challenges in making available the resources needed besides the issue of poor transport infrastructure.
Staff Well-Being
The emergency response team should be protected from any harm when in the process of rescuing victims of a natural disaster such as that of the Haiti earthquake in 2010. According to Townes et al. (2018), the staff involved in rescuing victims of the earthquake and those who are providing humanitarian support are often exposed to numerous hazards. The earthquake destroyed roads leading to major rescue locations.
As such, it forced the team to abandon their vehicles and find alternative means of moving supplies and other materials to the sites. The situation was worsened by the cholera outbreak soon after the earthquake. The disease also affected individuals who were providing humanitarian support, especially because of the limited clean water and poor sanitation in the rescue centers. In this section, the researcher focused on discussing what was done to enhance staff well-being and possible weaknesses that should be addressed in the future in case of a similar occurrence.
Safety
The safety of the staff should be given priority to avoid cases where they sustain injuries during the response period. The team that responded to distress calls after the earthquake lacked effective instruments to rescue people from the debris. However, they had the right clothing and other protective gear to protect themselves from physical harm. The foreign support that came from different countries was also protected from physical harm, especially those who participated in the reconstruction and restoration of the system after the earthquake. When the cholera outbreak occurred, the medical team did not anticipate it.
However, immediate measures were taken to protect those who were participating in the rescue and recovery mission. It did not take long for the right medication to arrive to help address the new problem. Reports about this incident did not state the number of people in the rescue and recovery mission who lost their lives because of their activities in the country (Gelb & Diofasi, 2018). However, it was evident that measures were taken to enhance their safety.
Security
Security was another factor that had to be considered when enhancing staff well-being. According to Clarke and Dercon (2016), during such chaotic times, criminals tend to take advantage of the confusion to achieve personal gains. Robbery with violence, rape, theft of important materials, and attack from extremist groups are some of the threats that the team had to deal with in the entire period of rescue and restoration. The government of Haiti provided adequate security through local law enforcement agencies to ensure that both the local and foreign agencies could undertake their activities without facing a major threat. Security of those providing humanitarian services was boosted by additional troops from the United Nations.
Those who had to work at night and those who spent most of their time in the ghettos were offered security as a precaution against any form of threat. The government partnered with private sector players to provide effective means of transport. An emergency response system was set to ensure that those in distress could call for help and receive it within the shortest period possible. According to Townes et al. (2018), the government of Haiti and other relevant authorities did a satisfactory job in enhancing the security of those who were helping victims. The crime rate was very low and both victims and members of humanitarian agencies did not feel threatened during that period.
Stress management
Emergency response is one of the most stressful tasks because of the nature of the tasks involved. According to Madry (2015), when in a rescue mission, the goal of the response team is to save everyone who has a fighting chance. However, sometimes victims die in the process of getting help. Hearing an individual begging for help and seeing them die before they are rescued can be traumatizing. One may feel that they failed in their duty and the failure resulted in the death of an individual. Others have to deal with cases where they have to remove corpses from the debris, some of which may be badly mutilated. Those who are well trained and experienced may be capable of dealing with such gruesome scenes.
Schuller (2016) explains that despite the level of training that an individual may go through, very few people have opportunities of working in several places with similar scenes. As such, the vast majority of those who responded to the Haiti earthquake had to deal with an emergency that was new to them. According to Meyer and Kunreuther (2017), some of those who were providing relief food fainted at the sight of mutilated bodies recovered from the debris. Some of the corpses were in pieces, a scene that was shocking to many. To help manage the stress, the team selected specific individuals who could withstand the nature of devastation at various sites. The government provided systems that would enhance the activities of those who took part in this mission to help reduce levels of stress.
Critical incident stress debriefing
Critical stress briefing was an extension of the stress management process. Post-traumatic stress disorder was a factor that could not be ignored in this case. Valcik and Tracy (2017) argue that even when an individual is emotionally strong enough to deal with such a situation, they can have problems when they remember such incidences later. As such, the medical team organized psychotherapy sessions among all those who were involved in the rescue mission. Instead of waiting until the end of the mission program, critical incident stress debriefing was conducted daily basis, especially during the first week that the team was involved with the rescue mission.
Every evening, all who were involved in the mission formed teams of ten people. Each team was assigned a psychologist who was responsible for the debriefing. First, they were allowed to discuss the nature of trauma they had on that day, and how they managed to continue offering their services despite the gruesome scene. After the discussion, the counselor had a one-on-one session with each of the individuals to determine if they needed special help. They were encouraged to talk freely and to discuss with the counselor any other issue that they could not talk about with the group members.
Meyer and Kunreuther (2017) explain that most of the critical incident stress debriefings focused on the emergency response team. Haitians who came out to help but were not recognized as officials responding to the disaster were excluded from the debriefing. They did not even realize that such sessions existed among those who were participating in the rescue process. Valcik and Tracy (2017) believe that failure to conduct critical incident stress debriefing can have a long-term psychological impact on those who are involved. Such individuals may fear to talk about their experiences to those close to them, which only worsens their situation. It is not clear how many people were affected and how they have been dealing with their situation after the incident. However, some studies show that a significant number of locals were not adequately debriefed.
Linking Relief Rehabilitation and Development
The 2010 Haiti earthquake attracted the attention of the international community. As Wyss (2014) explains, many countries participated in the relief efforts to restore normalcy in this developing nation. At the time of the earthquake, poverty was one of the main socio-economic problems in this country. A significant population of youths in Haiti is unemployed. The disaster destroyed several business premises, which only led to the escalation of the unemployment problem.
Townes et al. (2018) note that the government made an appeal for relief from the international community because it could not meet the needs of those who were affected. Although the focus of the humanitarian agencies was to restore normalcy after the devastating, they could not ignore the level of poverty and unemployment in the country. As such, relief rehabilitation was linked to development.
The actual financial support that the country received from the international community differs from one report to another. However, Valcik and Tracy (2017) believe that the country received over four billion United States dollars in foreign aid. The United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Brazil, and Canada donated money, food, and medical supplies to help victims and the government restore normalcy in the country. Most of the humanitarian organizations made an effort to hire locals as a way of enhancing financial empowerment in the region. The strategy was meant to ensure that those who were in business before the disaster could earn enough capital that can facilitate them to start their business operations by the end of the program.
The Cuban doctors did not just focus on providing medical support for the locals. They also helped to train the medical staff to ensure that they can provide quality services to the locals when the foreign aid ends. Doctors without Borders set up their operations in different parts of the town that was affected. They not only provided the medical services needed but also hired the locals to work as drivers, nurses, doctors, receptionists, cleaners, storekeepers, and many other positions.
The government of Haiti committed some part of the foreign donations into the development of infrastructure within the country, especially in the affected region. The damaged roads were rebuilt, the airport expanded, and the rail system improved. It was a perfect opportunity for the government to get foreign aid to improve the important infrastructure without taking a foreign loan. Youth empowerment programs initiated by different non-governmental organizations instilled creativity and new skills that enabled young adults to start and manage small businesses. These programs opened doors for funding from international charitable organizations and individual philanthropists. According to Madry (2015), although some families are still homeless several years after the disaster, the town has recovered from the incident and it is developing at a relatively higher rate than it was before the earthquake.
Conclusion
The earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010 is one of the worst natural disasters that the country has ever witnessed. The massive loss of lives was mainly attributed to the lack of disaster preparedness in the country. The government had not anticipated such a major disaster, and as such, measures were not put in place to help deal with the issue. The national construction authority had not set new standards for major commercial and residential structures. When the earthquake struck, most of these substandard structures collapsed. The situation was worsened by the fact that the majority of Haitians did not know how to respond to the disaster. Wrong actions that they took had led to an increased number of casualties.
Reports indicate that a significant number of those who lost their lives were caught by the falling debris, while either trying to run out of buildings or seeking cover under different structures during the earthquake. The humanitarian response from the United Nations, Oxfam International, Cuban doctors, Doctors without Borders, American Red Cross, and other agencies helped to restore normalcy in the country.
Although there were weaknesses in the response mechanism that resulted in the outbreak of cholera, the overall outcome of the response was positive. Many people were settled and economic development the restored. Humanitarian agencies recommended that the Haitian government should consider empowering its citizens on how to respond to different disasters. Commercial and residential houses should also adhere to new construction standards.
References
Clarke, D. J., & Dercon, S. (2016). Dull disasters: How planning ahead will make a difference. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Gelb, A. H., & Diofasi, M. A. (2018). Identification revolution: Can digital ID be harnessed for development? Washington, DC: Center for Global Development.
Madry, S. (2015). Space systems for disaster warning, response, and recovery. New York, NY: Springer.
Meyer, R., & Kunreuther, H. (2017). The Ostrich Paradox: Why we underprepare for disasters. Philadelphia, PA: Wharton Digital Press.
Schuller, M. (2016). Humanitarian aftershocks in Haiti. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Townes, D., Gerber, M., & Anderson, M. (Eds.). (2018). Health in humanitarian emergencies: Principles and Practice for public health and healthcare practitioners. Cambridge University Press.
Valcik, N. A., & Tracy, P. E. (2017). Case studies in disaster response and emergency management (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
Wyss, M. (Ed.). (2014). Earthquake hazard, risk and disasters. Waltham, MA: Elsevier.
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