CIAO DATE: 12/2008
November 2008
United States Institute of Peace
In September 2008, four hurricanes and tropical storms-Fay, Gustav, Hannah and Ike-slammed into Haiti with devastating force. Nearly 800 people were killed, 300 remain missing and more than 500 were injured. More than 150,000 people were displaced. Cities and towns were inundated with mud. Roads, bridges, crops and factories were destroyed. Damage to infrastructure was so great that helicopters and boats were required to reach parts of the island. Millions were left at risk of starvation. International aid officials warned that shortages could spark the kind of food riots that erupted in April of this year.
The impact of the storms reversed a period of steady economic progress. Haiti's President, Rene Préval, told the U.N. General Assembly that the storms set Haiti's economy back several years. Following a survey of the damage, World Bank President Robert Zoellick concluded that Haiti was at "a tipping point." An editorial in the Miami Herald warned that as a result of the storms, Haiti could "fall into a bottomless pit of hunger, disease, crime, poverty and desperation that would make the preceding decade of poverty, violence and instability look benign in comparison."
The challenge facing Haiti and the international response to the crisis was discussed by a panel of distinguished experts at a recent meeting sponsored by the Institute's Haiti Working Group. Principal speakers included:
Resource link: Haiti After the Storms: Weather and Conflict [PDF] - 61K