This Saturday, Haiti relived one of the most difficult moments the island has experienced since 2010. A 7.2-magnitude earthquake followed by a 5.2 left the country in chaos and despair.

 

The catastrophic situation hit the country 38 days after the death of President Jovenel Moïse.

 

Haiti's Civil Protection Agency has counted the death toll at 1,419 dead, and the number of injured to 6,900.

 

The Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, described the situation as "dramatic" and declared a state of emergency throughout the island on Sunday, Aug. 15.

 

On Saturday, Aug. 14, U.S. President Joe Biden authorized an "immediate U.S. response" to the earthquake that struck Haiti, causing massive damage in the south of the country.

 

Biden also named U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator, Samantha Power, as the senior U.S. official in charge of coordinating the effort.

 

Haiti has been plagued for years by different evils, from corruption to cholera. The small Caribbean island has been a victim of public mismanagement coupled with a terrible geographical location on the globe. It is only 27.750 km² and located between the tectonic plates of North America and the Caribbean in the path of hurricanes. 

 

In addition, the most important cities of its territory have been built on the coast, so floods are frequent and increasingly destructive. 

 

Citizens have built their homes in very precarious conditions, with wood or plastic materials that are incapable of withstanding any natural disaster. This situation is largely due to the corruption that has plagued the country for years. In 35 years they have already had 20 presidents, the last one being Jovenel Moïse, assassinated on July 7. 

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has added to the tragedies of the island, since the real number of deaths caused by the virus is still unknown, because the health conditions are not adequate and its hospital system is almost non-existent. So far, only 390 people out of the 11 million inhabitants of the island (<0.1%) have been vaccinated against coronavirus. 

After the announcement of cases in Haiti, several Latin American presidents put forth help for the crisis the country is going through. 

 

Iván Duque, president of Colombia, reiterated his support to the Caribbean island by sending "16 tons of Emergency Humanitarian Aid, food and non-food." In addition, according to what the president said in a tweet "2 planes of the Colombian Air Force left with the multitask team USARCOL1, made up of 30 professionals, 2 canines and 18 tons of specialized equipment for search and rescue and medical components."

The President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, said through social media that his country has sent "humanitarian aid, medicines, sanitary elements, food, among others." He also said the island needs the aid with "desperation and urgency."