Haitian Havok

This week Haiti solemnly marked the one year anniversary of earthquake destruction. Just two months earlier, jittery Haitians panicked at the small tremor of a minor earthquake under Port-au-Prince, which shook around the same time scientists concluded that the 7.0 earthquake of January 2010 wasn't caused by a strike-slip in the previously suspected Endriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone. No, that one was a new, lesser known fault. Conclusion? The built up tensions in the E-P G fault are still tense. Haiti's not out of the danger zone.

This unfortunate truth, coupled with the nation's failing reconstruction attempts, begs an important question: What is the breaking point for cities and states prone to national disasters? The question has been asked countless times in regards to Southern Louisiana, which endured hurricane and oil spill within four years. The area's history and zeal caused many to scoff at the question. Though the region is still one of the nation's most economically devastated, there is no arguing against the fact that its turmoil unleashed motivation in Americans--residents fighting for the city they call home and idealistic youth fighting for the city they call party.

America cannot save Haiti. Our residents can call in monetary donations during a Jay Z performance on a TV fundraiser, but we cannot collectively fuel the country's reconstruction (if we could, we'd probably botch it). Working under the assumption that the rich can't aid the poor here, the dilemma is whether or not Haiti is worth saving, considering its unstable structure and location over so many deadly fault lines.

whether Haiti is worth saving...

It's such an easy line to throw out when you're on the outside. Even as a visitor to New Orleans I had no problem saying it in 2007. Ultimately, there's no doubt that it is and it will. Haitians will not up and flee as a society, so their roots will remained grounded in this faulted, tense country regardless of whether they live in abject poverty or just pretty poor poverty.

Americans poured money into rebuilding New Orleans despite scientific projections that this very well could happen again. In Haiti, however, the same truth may have turned the faucet off.