Haiti would be a beautiful place to live in and visit if they could receive proper funds and spend them correctly. The Haitian people have had a severe burden put on them, and there is no one to blame. They have stuck together through the 2010 Haiti Earthquake, lived through an unbelievable situation, and have had the will and courage to keep moving forward for themselves and their country.
2010 Haiti Earthquake
On January 12, 2010, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 hit the country of Haiti. According to the official U.S. Geological Survey, 316,000 people were killed, 150,000 injured, and 550,000 were permanently displaced. Active fault lines that cut through Haiti can be recognized as the main cause, as well as the slow but inexorable drift of tectonic plates. This threat will remain in tact as long as these fault lines exist, meaning for millions of years. Fifty-two aftershocks followed the Earthquake, and these further destructed the meager amount of community Haiti had. The Dominican Republic was not affected much by the earthquake, since there is a major mountain range separating the two countries and because the Dominican Republic had much better building codes and architecture than Haiti. Due to these reasons, Haiti went into $8 billion of damage and destruction. Almost all buildings near the epicenter in the city of Léogâne were destroyed completely, as well as surrounding areas, and the destruction killed many of the animals left in Haiti including plants that were used to eat. Since the earthquake was only five miles below the surface, and Haiti was not ready for the earthquake due to their poverty level, the amount of destruction was much greater than it could have been. The low amount of money Haiti has disallowed them to have proper communication within the country, as well as having strong buildings especially made for earthquakes. Because of this, the Haitian people weren't mentally or physically prepared to tackle another severe earthquake in their country. Although the people of Haiti had lost hope, countries around the world including America, England, Russia, and Germany, have contributed to helping Haiti's destruction and giving them supplies and money so that they can rebuild and start over again. All the relief money put together comes to a total of $2 billion, but unfortunately the money given to the country is spent immediately and no major advances are being made.