Haiti: One of the world’s worst places for a natural disaster

We shouldn’t be surprised when a major hurricane wreaks havoc on a defenseless nation like Haiti, just 700 miles off the coast of Florida.

Efforts to help Haiti, its people and its land are long, long overdue. This is this side of the world’s poorest nation, where 4 out of 5 people live in poverty.

Because of Haiti’s poverty, the people have had no choice but to strip the land of everything worth anything. Less than 100 years ago, most of Haiti was covered by forest. Now, it’s down to 2 percent original forest. So instead of a varied, healthy landscape, Haiti is a desert with exceptionally poor farmland.

The desecration of the land – which can be attributed to the nation’s poverty – leaves Haiti particularly vulnerable when it comes to natural disasters. Take 2004, for example. Tropical Storm Jeanne dropped 13 inches of rain in Haiti, causing mudslides and floods. The storm killed more than 3,000 people. In Haiti’s wealthier neighbor, the Dominican Republic, however, only a few dozen people died. And when the storm got to Florida it was still raging, but only five people died from it.

So if cutting down trees makes so little sense for Haitians, why do they still do it? Well, when you make $2 a day, the only way to cook your rice is to cut down trees for firewood. Unfortunately, the flooding to poverty connection is just that simple.

Another result of poverty and lack of stable government is a lack of building codes in Haiti. It takes modern engineering and construction to create a city that can withstand hurricanes. Not to mention money. Haiti is 0 for 3.

And the result, when an earthquake strikes, is awful. No food or drinking water. No shelter. No hospitals. All Haiti can do is wait, and hope the rest of the world will finally care enough to truly turn Haiti around.