ON Tuesday, Category 4 Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti. With winds travelling at 145 mph, the storm killed 17 persons, destroyed farmlands, towns and resorts, in what the United Nations (UN) has said is the worst humanitarian crisis since the devastating earthquake of 2010. With Haiti still recovering from that earthquake and a cholera outbreak which followed as a result of infected water, the country will once again have to rely on the compassion of fellow human beings, governments, and organisations around the world to come to its assistance.

Two years prior (2008) to the earthquake four storms (Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike) have lashed the island and reportedly destroyed 70 percent of the crops. Two years (2012) after the earthquake the country was rocked by Hurricane Sandy. The 2010 earthquake resulted in 230,000 deaths and approximately one million having to live in tents after buildings collapsed. Haiti, given its recent spate of incidents, is presently a defenceless country.
Considered the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, understanding Haiti’s poverty requires nuanced approaches given its complexities that date back to the 1789 slave revolution and the Haitians having to pay France for their freedom achieved in 1804, wanton excesses and abuses of François “Papa Doc” Duvalier and Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier governments, poor management and environmental practices, the absence of sustainable development, among others. That having been said, the intent of this editorial is not to stimulate ad nauseam argument on the poverty in that society, but more so what can be done to aid a sister Caribbean country to wade through, no pun intended, the present crisis that is bound to besiege the people and add to their burden.
Haiti faces a deforestation crisis and reportedly is one of the most deforested countries in the world, with less than two percent of the land that has trees. In the presence of this, more than 60 percent of the population’s energy comes from charcoal. Additionally, to what have evidently been poor environmental practices, a land known for its steep terrain has implications of suffering from landslides and mudslides. Further, where the foundation of infrastructures is poor, such could see buildings, bridges, roads, etc. crumbling or collapsing.
What the Caribbean region has on its hand is another natural disaster, with the impact being made worse by some bad man-made decisions. It further suggests that this will result in loss of material possessions, incomes, internal dislocation, Haitians leaving their country if and when possible, and in some instances will be added to the Refugee and Migrant crises the world is presently facing. In 2010, there was galvanising of support and resources from around the world, including that of countries, businesses, institutions, input from celebrities, medical and construction teams, powerful leaders, and politicians in a commendable humanitarian drive. Such support not only brought temporary assistance, but also helped in rebuilding and addressing socio-economic challenges, including, to some extent, managing a refugee and migration crisis.
Haiti is a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). People will be looking to see the Caribbean’s response to not only providing aid via supplies, but also technical and humanitarian support. This new crisis will also raise the question, if we as a region can continue to treat Haiti as an estranged member, even moreso in light of the recent UN General Assembly, where a special summit was held to address the world’s unprecedented refugee and migrant crises. More so, will Caribbean governments rise to the entreaty of United States President Barack Obama that crisis of such nature “is a test of our common humanity — whether we give in to suspicion and fear and build walls, or whether we see ourselves in another.”
Member states may want to examine the wisdom of a special inter-CARICOM migration programme for Haiti. Hopefully, the spirit of Caribbean brotherliness would not prevent us from looking at ways of helping outside of the usual aid sent when there is a disaster. There is already a thought in the public domain that Guyana can examine resettling Haitians in areas where agriculture and food production can be advanced within the Green Economy. Not to be ignored is that given the defenceless nature of Haiti, continuous deportation of a people who are evidently fleeing dire consequences in their country may not be seen as upholding the law, but shelving the needed humanitarian support.