Today is the one year anniversary of the massive earthquake that devastated Haiti — a nation already struggling in ways most of us can barely imagine. I debated for a moment about posting this today, lest I contribute to devastation overload in our readers given current events. But in the interest of keeping our collective memory sharp, I thought it was worth a mention here.
Astrologically, too, I believe this is worth its space here. Eric has mentioned in conversation that this time of year seems to be an astrological hot spot of sorts across recent years, though the thread is proving elusive. I am including the link to the Haiti earthquake chart here, for easier comparison for the event chart for Saturday’s shooting. It may be we need more data to see a full picture of the thread, but any astro-sleuths out there are welcome to chime in.
In the meantime, here is the synopsis of Haiti’s current status as given by Amy Goodman on Democracy Now! It is sad; it is discouraging. It is also important to remember as part of the big picture of our current now, rather than forgotten to a faded history.
AMY GOODMAN: And one year later, the words of Dr. Evan Lyon, a professor with Partners in Health, are agonizingly true: Haiti is still in pain. If anything, the situation has gotten worse. A cholera epidemic has spread throughout the country, killing more than 3,600 people, infecting more than 170,000. More than a million people remain homeless, still living in makeshift shelters in hundreds of tent camps. Port-au-Prince is a city of earthquake refugees. There is little food, clean water or sanitation.
Reconstructions efforts have barely begun a full 12 months after the disaster. By some estimates, less than five percent of the rubble has been cleared, and only 15 percent of the temporary housing that is needed has been built. Less than 10 percent of the $9 billion pledged by foreign donors has been delivered.
Meanwhile, Haitian women and girls are facing an increasing threat of sexual violence. Amnesty International says more than 250 cases of rape in several makeshift camps were reported in the first 150 days after the earthquake.
This all comes amidst continuing political uncertainty following the disputed presidential elections last November. The vote was widely denounced as flawed, with reports of fraud and intimidation at polling stations, and protests broke out when the provisional results were announced in December. On Monday, it was reported the Organization of American States will recommend that Jude Célestin, the governing party candidate, should be dropped from the runoff vote.
Frustrating that so little has been done to secure a decent water supply and better housing. Only five percent of the rubble has been cleared? That’s crap.
Thoughts and continued prayers for the people of Haiti. We could learn a heck of a lot from them. They have an indomitable will to live and survive against *such* odds and their sense of community and passionate love of music and dance could put us to shame.
It is so frustrating that the aid is not getting to the intended recipients, as for many (maybe most) of us financial support is the only way we can reach out on a physical level.