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| Of interest today... |
Haiti's history...
NASA Satellite image showing deforestation in Haiti.
Image depicts the border between Haiti (left) and the Dominican Republic (right).
Image depicts the border between Haiti (left) and the Dominican Republic (right).
Haiti's population of 9.8 million has a per-capita income of less than $800. Eighty
percent of those 9.8 million people live on less than 2 dollars a day.
Deforestation has left only 2 percent of the west one-third of the island forested.
Leaving the island prone to flooding and desertification. Throughout history alternate
energy sources have been out of reach for most Haitian's, so they turned to burning
wood.
Columbus landed on northern Haiti in December of 1492. Nineteen days later his
ship, the Santa Maria ran aground. The crew built a camp in what is now Cap-Haïtien
but the local Indians destroyed the camp and Columbus moved his sailors to the
eastern part of the island, now the Dominican Republic.
Haitians are Creoles- a mixture of European, Amerindian, and African ancestry.
French pirates settled in Haiti early on. Some successfully grew tobacco and between
1697 and 1787 more than 30,000 French (mostly from Bordeaux) settled in Haiti. In
the 18th century, Haiti was one of the richest colonies in the New World. During the
French Revolution the British invaded Haiti thereby nudging the French to free all
slaves and ensuring Haiti's success in defeating the British.
Napoleon tried to take back the island by sending 20,000 troops in 1803, but most of
his troops died due to yellow fever. And the island successfully resisted, claiming
independence in 1804. Many state this is the world´s first successful slave revolt.
France again tried to take back Haiti in 1825 when King Charles X sent thousands of
troops. But instead of more battles, Haiti agreed to a treaty where France recognized
the independence of the country in exchange for 90 million francs.
Since independence Haiti has seen 32 coups.
Between 1956 and 1986, the country was run by the brutal dictators Francois “Papa
Doc” Duvalier and his son, Baby Doc who finally fled to France in 1986.
Just 4 years later in December 1990, the Roman Catholic priest Jean-Bertrand
Aristide won the first free election with more than 67% of the vote.
Two coups arose against Aristide. The first coup occurred in 1991 and Aristide was
put back in power by the U.S. in 1994. The second in 2004 was a paramilitary coup
and was assisted by the U.S. Marines exiling Aristide to Africa.
In 2006 René Préval was elected president, he had also served as president during
1995-2000. And served as prime minister as well as minister of defense and internal
affairs under Aristide's first administration.
Natural Disasters:
1770: Earthquake flattens Port-au-Prince.
1842: Earthquake devastates cities in northern Haiti and Dominican Republic.
1935: Hurricane (unnamed) kills more than 2,000 in Haiti then moves on to Florida.
1946: A Magnitude 8.1 quake on the island of Hispaniola, causes a tsunami that kills
1,790 people.
1954: Hurricane Hazel leaves hundreds dead in Haiti and destroys coffee and cocoa
plantations.
1963: Hurricane Flora leaves 6,000 dead in Haiti and Cuba.
1994: Hurricane Gordon leaves over 1000 dead in Haiti.
1998: Hurricane Georges destroys 80 percent of Haiti's crops and leaves more than
400 dead.
2004 May: A week of heavy rains cause floods that kill more than 2,600 in the south.
2004 September: Tropical Storm Jeanne causes flooding and landslides that kill as
many as 3000 in northern Haiti.
2007 October: Tropical Storm Noel causes landslides and floods, that leaves at least
57 Haitians dead.
2008 Summer: Three hurricanes and a tropical storm hit in 30 days, causing more
than 800 deaths in Haiti, devastating 70% of the nation's crops and leaving
thousands homeless.
2010-January 12 : Magnitude 7 quake strikes but 6 miles beneath Port-Au-Prince.
Leaving possibly 50,000 dead. Countless homeless.
Relief efforts are being hindered by a one-runway airport that lacks equipment to
offload relief supplies, impassable roads, a devastated port and downed
communication systems.
Haiti sits on a fault-line. It is obviously in a hurricane track, and due to deforestation
is prone to serious flooding. Haiti has a 55% illiteracy rate.
Haiti's government has never been stable. There are no building codes in the country.
Sources: World Bank, UNDP, Wikipedia,CIA,UK Telegraph, NASA.
earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Haiti2004/
How to Help:
Immediate help:
Donate $10 to the American Red Cross – charged to your cell phone bill – by texting
"HAITI" to "90999." Red Cross website secure3.convio.net/arc3/site/Donation.
Oxfam International works with more than 3,000 local partner organizations- works
with people living in poverty striving to exercise their human rights, assert their
dignity as full citizens and take control of their lives. Delivers immediate life-saving
assistance to people affected by natural disasters or conflict, and helps to build their
resilience to future disasters. www.oxfam.org
Mercy Corps is currently focused on immediate humanitarian needs: water and
sanitation, trauma support and job creation.
www.mercycorps.org
Haiti Partners empowers people closest to the work being done with decision-making
authority and encourages collaboration and practices and structures that develop and
make use of people’s talents and abilities. Their Students Program educates 600
children in 4 partner schools. Teacher/ Circles of Change Program- is training 300
teachers annually in methods that help children develop a love for learning. Their
Leaders Program is training 40 strategic community leaders from around the country
in an intensive 3-year program. Faith based.
www.haitipartners.org
Lambi Fund of Haiti sponsors reforestation projects, micro-loan projects, sustainable
agriculture projects in Haiti. www.lambifund.org/programs_overview.shtml
Or Send a solar cooker: Sun Ovens International has been working in Haiti for the
past 11 years. www.sunoven.com
It would be a boon if all buildings could be replaced by earthquake proof homes.
Homes without slab roofs.
www.futurefeeder.com/2005/01/earthquake-proof-foam-house/
Although the walls in above example contain polysterene- a bio-based foam can be
employed. There are also traditional methods of positioning stone during building
that renders a building stable. The Romans built many a structure this way as did so
many of our indigenous ancestors.
percent of those 9.8 million people live on less than 2 dollars a day.
Deforestation has left only 2 percent of the west one-third of the island forested.
Leaving the island prone to flooding and desertification. Throughout history alternate
energy sources have been out of reach for most Haitian's, so they turned to burning
wood.
Columbus landed on northern Haiti in December of 1492. Nineteen days later his
ship, the Santa Maria ran aground. The crew built a camp in what is now Cap-Haïtien
but the local Indians destroyed the camp and Columbus moved his sailors to the
eastern part of the island, now the Dominican Republic.
Haitians are Creoles- a mixture of European, Amerindian, and African ancestry.
French pirates settled in Haiti early on. Some successfully grew tobacco and between
1697 and 1787 more than 30,000 French (mostly from Bordeaux) settled in Haiti. In
the 18th century, Haiti was one of the richest colonies in the New World. During the
French Revolution the British invaded Haiti thereby nudging the French to free all
slaves and ensuring Haiti's success in defeating the British.
Napoleon tried to take back the island by sending 20,000 troops in 1803, but most of
his troops died due to yellow fever. And the island successfully resisted, claiming
independence in 1804. Many state this is the world´s first successful slave revolt.
France again tried to take back Haiti in 1825 when King Charles X sent thousands of
troops. But instead of more battles, Haiti agreed to a treaty where France recognized
the independence of the country in exchange for 90 million francs.
Since independence Haiti has seen 32 coups.
Between 1956 and 1986, the country was run by the brutal dictators Francois “Papa
Doc” Duvalier and his son, Baby Doc who finally fled to France in 1986.
Just 4 years later in December 1990, the Roman Catholic priest Jean-Bertrand
Aristide won the first free election with more than 67% of the vote.
Two coups arose against Aristide. The first coup occurred in 1991 and Aristide was
put back in power by the U.S. in 1994. The second in 2004 was a paramilitary coup
and was assisted by the U.S. Marines exiling Aristide to Africa.
In 2006 René Préval was elected president, he had also served as president during
1995-2000. And served as prime minister as well as minister of defense and internal
affairs under Aristide's first administration.
Natural Disasters:
1770: Earthquake flattens Port-au-Prince.
1842: Earthquake devastates cities in northern Haiti and Dominican Republic.
1935: Hurricane (unnamed) kills more than 2,000 in Haiti then moves on to Florida.
1946: A Magnitude 8.1 quake on the island of Hispaniola, causes a tsunami that kills
1,790 people.
1954: Hurricane Hazel leaves hundreds dead in Haiti and destroys coffee and cocoa
plantations.
1963: Hurricane Flora leaves 6,000 dead in Haiti and Cuba.
1994: Hurricane Gordon leaves over 1000 dead in Haiti.
1998: Hurricane Georges destroys 80 percent of Haiti's crops and leaves more than
400 dead.
2004 May: A week of heavy rains cause floods that kill more than 2,600 in the south.
2004 September: Tropical Storm Jeanne causes flooding and landslides that kill as
many as 3000 in northern Haiti.
2007 October: Tropical Storm Noel causes landslides and floods, that leaves at least
57 Haitians dead.
2008 Summer: Three hurricanes and a tropical storm hit in 30 days, causing more
than 800 deaths in Haiti, devastating 70% of the nation's crops and leaving
thousands homeless.
2010-January 12 : Magnitude 7 quake strikes but 6 miles beneath Port-Au-Prince.
Leaving possibly 50,000 dead. Countless homeless.
Relief efforts are being hindered by a one-runway airport that lacks equipment to
offload relief supplies, impassable roads, a devastated port and downed
communication systems.
Haiti sits on a fault-line. It is obviously in a hurricane track, and due to deforestation
is prone to serious flooding. Haiti has a 55% illiteracy rate.
Haiti's government has never been stable. There are no building codes in the country.
Sources: World Bank, UNDP, Wikipedia,CIA,UK Telegraph, NASA.
earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Haiti2004/
How to Help:
Immediate help:
Donate $10 to the American Red Cross – charged to your cell phone bill – by texting
"HAITI" to "90999." Red Cross website secure3.convio.net/arc3/site/Donation.
Oxfam International works with more than 3,000 local partner organizations- works
with people living in poverty striving to exercise their human rights, assert their
dignity as full citizens and take control of their lives. Delivers immediate life-saving
assistance to people affected by natural disasters or conflict, and helps to build their
resilience to future disasters. www.oxfam.org
Mercy Corps is currently focused on immediate humanitarian needs: water and
sanitation, trauma support and job creation.
www.mercycorps.org
Haiti Partners empowers people closest to the work being done with decision-making
authority and encourages collaboration and practices and structures that develop and
make use of people’s talents and abilities. Their Students Program educates 600
children in 4 partner schools. Teacher/ Circles of Change Program- is training 300
teachers annually in methods that help children develop a love for learning. Their
Leaders Program is training 40 strategic community leaders from around the country
in an intensive 3-year program. Faith based.
www.haitipartners.org
Lambi Fund of Haiti sponsors reforestation projects, micro-loan projects, sustainable
agriculture projects in Haiti. www.lambifund.org/programs_overview.shtml
Or Send a solar cooker: Sun Ovens International has been working in Haiti for the
past 11 years. www.sunoven.com
It would be a boon if all buildings could be replaced by earthquake proof homes.
Homes without slab roofs.
www.futurefeeder.com/2005/01/earthquake-proof-foam-house/
Although the walls in above example contain polysterene- a bio-based foam can be
employed. There are also traditional methods of positioning stone during building
that renders a building stable. The Romans built many a structure this way as did so
many of our indigenous ancestors.
Peninsula Compost Group in Wilmington Delaware has built the largest compost
center on the East Coast that will handle commercial as well as residential waste. The
center will produce 100,000 tons of compost annually.
Institutions will benefit as they will pay less to compost their waste than to throw it in
a landfill. They will be charging their institutional clients $50 a ton to dump their
waste at the compost plant. A good deal for the environment.
www.peninsulacompostcompany.com
www.jgpress.com/archives/_free/001710.html
planetark.org/wen/56333
center on the East Coast that will handle commercial as well as residential waste. The
center will produce 100,000 tons of compost annually.
Institutions will benefit as they will pay less to compost their waste than to throw it in
a landfill. They will be charging their institutional clients $50 a ton to dump their
waste at the compost plant. A good deal for the environment.
www.peninsulacompostcompany.com
www.jgpress.com/archives/_free/001710.html
planetark.org/wen/56333
Now supermarkets, schools and hospitals have an inexpensive
way to compost.
way to compost.
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