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I agree with all of this. The news report I heard seemed to imply that this wasn't a ticking bomb that might or might not go off again, but that it certainly would go off, and I was simply wondering about rebuilding in an intellectual (ie, not emotional) way. A lot of money has been donated, and while rebuilding, replacing what has been lost has a lot of emotional resonance, is this the best use of the money? While the port obviously has economic importance to the country, the country could pause and think about expending the money to areas where the earthquake damage was minimized, building a more diverse economy, perhaps, improving roads, putting its government headquarters further inland. I'm just thinking aloud, meandering as it were.
I read an article some where that said the UN has set up a study committee of some kind to decide how to rebuild Haiti plus ordinate it all. I don't doubt they will take into consideration all the things you're saying because it's just common sense.
I read an article some where that the UN has set up a study committee of some kind to decide how to rebuild Haiti plus ordinate it all. I don't doubt they will take into consideration all the things you're saying because it's just common sense.
DC, the bottom line here is that while it makes a lot more sense to move these people and leave Haiti to heal itself (they have distroyed their environment) we will not do it because of the sickness these people suffer from.
It is a nasty mess and in the end Haiti will be left to the abject poverty they have been in since they were slaves.
I read an article some where that said the UN has set up a study committee of some kind to decide how to rebuild Haiti plus ordinate it all. I don't doubt they will take into consideration all the things you're saying because it's just common sense.
Here is it..$3.09/day..1984 wages.
Can low-paying garment industry save Haiti? - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100221/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_haiti_earthquake - broken link)
"Garments are central to the economic growth plan commissioned by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon last year, a 19-page report written by Oxford University economics professor Paul Collier and promoted by former President Bill Clinton as special envoy to the impoverished nation."
Personally, I think agriculture/commodities would be the way to go..that country is rich in resources and could command a much higher dollar with commodities.
DC, the bottom line here is that while it makes a lot more sense to move these people and leave Haiti to heal itself (they have distroyed their environment) we will not do it because of the sickness these people suffer from.
It is a nasty mess and in the end Haiti will be left to the abject poverty they have been in since they were slaves.
it is sad really.
Imperialism destroyed Haiti. The Dominican Republic is right next door and they are not as impoverished as Haiti.
But evidently this recent earthquake actually makes another, more severe earthquake a strong possibility, as it has increased pressure on the plates beneath the island.
There was something on the Discovery Channel about this. Apparently geologists were not surprised that the earthquake happened where it did, and in fact, the same plate movements that caused that earthquake are also a big earthquake threat to southern Florida.
(The ridge that the old city of New Orleans sits on is not sinking generally and is largely stable, ie. near the river. And I have a friend from the Netherlands who grew up in an area that sits FAR lower in elevation than New Orleans. The Dutch however have made protection of low lying areas a priority)
Plus New Orleans would not be sitting with disappearing wetlands had gas and oil companies not opened up canals into the marsh allowing for salt intrusion yet no one is holding those companies into account for what they have done.
All very good points. If the federal or Louisiana state government would sack-up to the task of building dykes that actually work instead of weak earthen levees, New Orleans would stand a much better chance of surviving the next one. As for the parts of town that are lowest in elevation, wouldn't it be a smart idea to not rebuild but rather to turn them into natural areas (parks and/or wetlands?)
As for what the oil companies have done.... grrr.... And dams upriver (along all the tributaries) have also played an important role in the demise of the protective barrier twixt Gulf and City.
Sorry for going off-topic with New Orleans chat when the question was about Port-au-Prince. As others have said, there really aren't many options for Haitians other than massive foreign aid for rebuilding viable cities, or relocating most of the population to safer lands.
Imperialism destroyed Haiti. The Dominican Republic is right next door and they are not as impoverished as Haiti.
well there is a random thought.
does it matter what distroyed Haiti? The question is about what happens now?
the place is a shambles. It was a shambles before the earthquake. Now is is a ruin and a shambles and the ecology of the place has been in utter ruin for decades.
If Haiti were in America we would declare the entire place a hazardous wast site and it would fall under Superfund legislation for cleanup.
what caused it all doesnt matter nearly as much as what gets done about it.
consider me jaded, what we will do will be the least we can and they will be no better off than before.
I'm not familiar with Haiti, or the significance of Port-au-Prince, so I'm sincerely wondering if, in light of the threat of another devastating earthquake there, are there reasons why the city must be rebuilt?
sure why not, just not at the cost of american taxpayers.
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And dams upriver (along all the tributaries) have also played an important role in the demise of the protective barrier twixt Gulf and City.
