ANTH246 Discussion Post 7
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Geography
Date
Dec 6, 2023
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Uploaded by MajorAntelopeMaster266
In 2021, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake took place in the Tiburon Peninsula in the Caribbean
country of Haiti. This earthquake took place ten kilometers below the ground 150 kilometers
west of the capital of Port-au-Prince. Tsunami warnings were issued near the coast of Haiti after
the earthquake, but thankfully there wasn’t one. Around 2,200 people died in the earthquake
while over 12,000 were injured making the earthquake the single most devastating natural
disaster to take place in 2021. The cause of the earthquake was determined to be the oblique-
reverse faulting near the fault zone west of the capital.
With regards to the question of whether it is useful to provide aid despite the infrastructure
damage, there is a two-pronged answer. Firstly, not all aid is in the form of food or medical
supplies. A huge portion of aid is also given to help rebuild said infrastructure. In the case of
Haiti, the earthquake destroyed over 135,000 buildings and caused an economic loss of “over 1.5
U.S. billion dollars, over 10% of the country’s economy” (OCHA, 2021). To counter this, the
USAID sent over $32 million in aid to help rebuild their infrastructure. Secondly, with regards to
immediate aid, despite the risk it is still necessary to provide aid to those in need otherwise they
may die. To counteract the infrastructure damage and to keep the aid fresh as operations take
place, “the aid distribution is carried out by vehicles, starting and ending their routes in a
distribution center (depot) where the primary aid arrives (e.g., airport, seaport, warehouse)
.”
(MDPI, 2022).
Crime tends to increase when natural disasters take place as there is usually anarchy and a
breakdown in the rule of law. People are usually fighting for survival while law enforcement is
busy carrying out rescue operations. This creates an environment in which criminals can thrive.
However, that is not always the case. According to a report by Binghamton University, after the
2004 Indonesian Tsunami, “crime went down on average by 243.86”. I don’t believe foreign
countries should send their troops without request from the affected country as it threatens their
sovereignty. The sending of troops for aid without invitation can be seen as a hostile action,
furthermore, it can also be used as an excuse for spying. On the other hand, the deployment of
troops from foreign countries can help speed up the aid process. In the case of Haiti, the
Brazilian government deployed its military at the request of the U.N. to help distribute aid and
maintain law and order.
In my opinion, countries should only send enough aid that it helps avert or reduce the effect of
the crisis without creating an overreliance on foreign aid. I don’t believe that the expectations
should be the same for all countries as richer countries should send a larger proportion of aid as it
they have more disposable resources. In the case of Haiti, the United States sent the most
amount, totaling over $75 million.
1.
OCHA. (2021, November).
Haiti: Earthquake Situation Report No. 4 (7 September
2021)
. https://reliefweb.int/report/haiti/haiti-earthquake-situation-report-no-4-7-
september-2021
2.
MDPI. (2022, January).
Optimization of Humanitarian Aid Distribution in Case of an
Earthquake and Tsunami in the City of Iquique, Chile
.
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability
3.
Binghamton University. (2016, May).
Do Natural Disasters Induce More Crime?
https://orb.binghamton.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1033&context=alpenglowjournal
4.
Wikipedia contributors. (2022, April 21).
2021 Haiti earthquake
. Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Haiti_earthquake
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