Essay On Haiti Earthquake

The Wall Street Journal opens by defining the Haiti Earthquake as the strongest to hit the Caribbean in more than two centuries. Various witness reports were included, one of which from the Administer of Mercy and Sharing in Haiti: a charity that houses 109 orphans, notes the various dead bodies lying on the street, the numerous injured citizens, and the ringing cries of help in an area just 10 miles outside of the earthquakes epicenter. The report specifically describes the devastated infrastructure not only in the presidential compound, the government ministry building, and U.N. headquarters, but also many other buildings and homes throughout Haiti. After describing the devastation in Haiti, the article describes the extent of immediate aid demanded in Haiti, and the approach of other nations to either help or avoid the issue.
For example, the statement from president Barack Obama that was included in the BBC news report was also included in the WSJ article.
However, in the Wall Street Journal it expressed that U.N. officials would “consider” immediate humanitarian aid, when contrastingly, BBC States the Obama “immediately” pledged humanitarian aid must be sent. This deviation in quoting president Obama’s statement brings into question the reliability of both sources. Following this quotation, Francis Ghesquire, lead disaster risk management specialist at World Bank was then consulted and stated that “ the toll would be exacerbated by the lack of zoning, building codes, and emergency preparedness,” (Córoboda and Luhnow). especially in a nation with a weak central government like Haiti. This lack of preparation and previous disasters in Haiti is noted in the article to emphasize Haiti’s security problems, alludes that victims will more than likely resort to looting to obtain supplies in amidst the chaos. This approach induces nations like the US to be disinterested in investing aid within a the country deemed as
hopeless.
Climax of Issue: Haiti Quake Damage in Billions /February 17,2010
This article written by Wall Street Journal opens by sharing the predicted cost of repairing the amount of damage in Haiti to be $13.2 billion. By beginning the article with a large number, readers immediately begin to question whether or not this large quantity of money is necessary. This large number is merely an estimate provided by three economists affiliated with the regional development bank, however the names of these economists is unknown to the readers. The article includes a study that reports that after ten years, Haiti’s economic output is likely to be 30% what it would have been had the earthquake not hit. It also notes that “This is the case even given significant increases in aid flows that tend to occur after a major disaster” (Lunnow and Duhgan). This hints to the reader that this source is more than likely against sending aid, a trait often attributed to conservative leaning news sources.The name of this study is also omitted from the article, and little other credibility can be proved for the obtaining of this information, or its truthfulness. The article also provides a visual at the end of the “World’s Worst Natural Disasters, By Country,” an alliterative title that one might assume would encourage sending help to the impoverished country. However, the table separates the Haiti earthquake from other disasters making its economic disparity seem significantly deficient. Further, because this information is arranged in a syntax following the previous statements discouraging the need for aid, it makes the country seem that much more hopeless, and not worth the time or dollars involved in contributing aid