Haiti Earthquake a Seismic Disaster

Residents walk past earthquake-damaged buildings on January 12, 2010, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Photograph by Lisandro Suero, AFP/Getty Images. Linked from National Geographic.

Not only is the earthquake that devastated Haiti yesterday the strongest of it’s kind in over 200 years, it’s a health worker’s nightmare.  A CNN World article reported that the death toll is feared to be over 100,000, with countless more injuries.  President Obama has already verbally committed expeditious support for Haiti, and aid groups on the ground have already sprung to action.

It may seem odd to do so on this blog, but in saying that the earthquake is a health worker’s nightmare, I am referencing my mother’s reaction to the news.  Being a nurse, she made the observation that in a situation such as this in which the health infrastructure is devastated as deeply as the population, psychological problems such as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder can debilitate not only victims but the deliverers of aid and healthcare.  To be so helpless in the ability to fulfill the primary purpose of a career in aid or health work in the face of such destruction can be monumentally discouraging.

Following such disasters we generally see an outpouring of support from the international community, and many wonder how to filter through the organizations and venues for monetary aid.  I think it is important to research organizations that already had a well-established presence on the ground and thus would not only need more immediate support but are also better versed in the local issues and people.  My “vote” of confidence and support goes to Partners In Health.  The briefing on their website is a testimony to the sensibility and ingenuity with which Partners In Health runs their organization:

Over the past 18 hours, Partners In Health staff in Boston and Haiti have been working to collect as much information as possible about the conditions on the ground, the relief efforts taking shape, and all relevant logistics issues in order to respond efficiently and effectively to the most urgent needs in the field.

To support their efforts in Haiti, please consider helping to fund their need for medical supplies and personel: https://donate.pih.org/page/contribute/haiti_earthquake.  Sometimes, the least we can do to help is what is needed most.