First Came an Earthquake. Then a Hurricane. Now, Haiti is Bracing for an Outbreak of Disease.

On Aug. 14, a devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit southwestern Haiti, leaving 2,189 people dead, 12,268 injured and at least 332 missing. Days later, Tropical Storm Grace swept over the ravaged landscape, hampering the complicated search and rescue mission. Yet aid groups say this is only the beginning of the crisis. The island country of nearly 12 million people has faced one disaster after another in the space of a few weeks. In July, President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated amid mounting allegations of corruption. The country has been struggling with poverty, disease and a fractured infrastructure since a catastrophic earthquake in 2010, which killed over 200,000 people. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Now another quake, followed by a storm, has left Haiti in pieces. According to U.N. estimates, 40% of the total affected population are in need of emergency humanitarian assistance. In some areas, up to 15 inches of rain led to flash flooding and landslides, blocking roads to communities in urgent need of relief. Joseph Odelyn—APA firefighter searches for survivors inside a damaged building in Les Cayes on Aug. 15. Joseph Odelyn—APPeople gather outside the Petit Pas Hotel, destroyed by the earthquake in Les Cayes, on Aug. 14. Adriana Zehbrauskas—The New York Times/ReduxPeople displaced by the earthquake at a makeshift tent camp in Les Cayes on Aug. 19. “There’s a lot of death and a lot of destruction,” Ann Lee, th...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Londontime Natural Disasters Source Type: news