Earthquake in Haiti

Photo Credit:dailymail.co.uk

I'm sure the whole world knows by now that there was an earthquake Tuesday in Haiti. We felt the effects of it here in Santiago and it was frightening. It was the first earthquake I have ever felt and it caught me by surprise more than anything. However, for the Haitian people I have met and the Dominicans with Haitian friends, this earthquake literally shook their lives up. There are people who are don't know where their families are, others who don't know if their friends are alive. It's absolutely heartbreaking.

The equivalent of an earthquake in Port-au-Prince is an earthquake in Washington, D.C. And it leads me to wonder, how can you possibly rebuild a country that was struggling to stay alive? I fear that Haiti is ruined; on the other hand, I hope this is a new beginning. More of a fresh start, than another effort to stay alive. Hearing that Obama decided to send aid was thrilling. I like the way he stated that he did not want to intervene, merely help. The US has intervened in Haiti one too many times, and I think it's great that we're sending aid instead of taking over.

This has also made me realize how easy it is to turn a blind eye to things. When I'm at home in the comfort of my own room, or at school with my friends, it's easy to say “Oh, an earthquake in Haiti. That's terrible.” It's not that we're insensitive, it's that we're oblivious. Here, I can't be oblivious. It's nearly impossible. I'm not in Haiti, and I can't imagine the distress in Haiti right now, but I am on the same island. And I want to do is help. And it kills me that I can't. I'm not on the other side of the ocean, and I can't ignore it. It's everywhere around me.

Please, if you feel compelled to donate, do so through a reasonable legitimate organization. The Cruz Roja (Red Cross) is big on the ground and is doing what they can to help in Haiti. Partners in Health is also another organization that is providing huge relief efforts for the Haitian people. Please continue to pray for the people of the country and the friends and families of those who are missing and those that have died.

I never understood the effects a natural disaster can have on a country until Tuesday. I think it takes a disaster to build a community. I think we saw that after September 11^th. Here, you see the US sending aid to a country that it doesn't have the best relationship with. I think that race lines are (finally) being crossed and it's no longer a matter of skin color. And even though a city is destroyed, lives have been lost, and many are missing, there is a sense of solidarity in the chaos, and that gives me hope.