Five years ago, a massive earthquake in Haiti killed 220,000 people and displaced almost two million more. At the time, Canada already had a special relationship with the Caribbean nation and the emergency spurred individuals, corporations and various governments to give more money, time and expertise to help.
Individual Canadians donated millions of dollars, $200 million to the Canadian Red Cross alone. The Canadian government has spent $800 million in Haiti since 2010.
‘Everything was urgent’
“The most challenging thing was that everything was urgent,” says Chiran Livera, deputy director of disaster management at the Canadian Red Cross who arrived in Haiti shortly after the quake. “When we were talking to individuals everything was needed right away—food and water and shelter and medicine.
“So what we focussed on was the life-saving assistance…It was very challenging because all the needs were present at the same time.”
ListenLater, the Canadian Red Cross sent a hospital from Canada to Haiti, set it up and began doing surgery right away. It later set its sights on providing water sanitation and other services.
Canadian Red Cross was ready
The aid agency was able to take action quickly because it already staff and material on the ground. “We had Canadians there and local staff and we knew a lot of the geography of the country. We knew a lot of the actors.
“In addition to that, the Canadian Red Cross had pre-positioned relief items in Haiti because unfortunately, Haiti gets affected by disasters every year so we had pre-positioned materials there which we quickly distributed.”
On this anniversary of the quake, Canadian media are running stories about individual Canadians who have gone to help on a volunteer basis. Some work in medical services, others in education and child welfare services.
Making stronger buildings
A hospital in Jacmel was severely damaged in the quake and has been rebuilt by the Canadian Red Cross in partnership with some Montreal hospitals which offered technical expertise. In rebuilding buildings and homes, the Red Cross pledges to make them stronger, so they are better able to withstand earthquakes and the hurricanes which frequently hit Haiti.
Much remains to be done. The need is still great. Livera says if he has one regret, it is not having better communicated to donors and beneficiaries that rebuilding was and is going to be a long-term effort.
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