(Photo by David Rochkind for the New York Times. Haiti, 2012)  Multiple Pulitzer Center grantee David Rochkind weathered Tropical Storm Isaac in Haiti, capturing photos of the aftermath for the New York Times.  He sent this note using his phone since the internet is still largely down: “At first glance it seemed like Isaac didn’t really cause too much damage in Haiti. Driving around the streets of Port au Prince you saw downed trees and power lines, but not very much damaged property and nothing that would indicate the storm had caused loss of life. When I visited some of the tent camps that still remain from the 2010 earthquake  and that house nearly 400,000 people across the country, the reality of Isaac hit me. A small fraction of those 400,000 people were evacuated to shelters, many of them choosing to stay with the few possessions they still had on the small plot of land that they could call home. I saw people whose tents were torn to shreds by the wind and whose belongings were soaked by the rain. I saw mothers breastfeeding in the ruins of their homes and children playing in the flooded waters of their neighborhoods. But when I entered a small tent community that experienced about two feet of flooding I was shocked.  Even after it was clear that their homes were flooded, they remained. They cooked food standing shin deep in water, children giggled sitting on chairs above the water and women took naps on beds that were partially submerged.  What could possibly cause people to feel more safe and secure napping in a flooded, wind-tattered tent than evacuating to a sturdy, dry shelter?  Why do they turn a deaf ear to pleas by the government and aid groups to evacuate?  Some say that they have no place to go.  Or they are afraid if they leave they will never be allowed back. Or that everything they own will be stolen in their absence. The lack of secure housing is an immediate problem that needs to be solved to lessen the damage caused by disasters.  But there are a host of other problems that are raised by events like Isaac whose answers are much more elusive.”
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(Photo by David Rochkind for the New York Times. Haiti, 2012) 

Multiple Pulitzer Center grantee David Rochkind weathered Tropical Storm Isaac in Haiti, capturing photos of the aftermath for the New York Times.  He sent this note using his phone since the internet is still largely down:

“At first glance it seemed like Isaac didn’t really cause too much damage in Haiti. Driving around the streets of Port au Prince you saw downed trees and power lines, but not very much damaged property and nothing that would indicate the storm had caused loss of life. When I visited some of the tent camps that still remain from the 2010 earthquake  and that house nearly 400,000 people across the country, the reality of Isaac hit me. A small fraction of those 400,000 people were evacuated to shelters, many of them choosing to stay with the few possessions they still had on the small plot of land that they could call home. I saw people whose tents were torn to shreds by the wind and whose belongings were soaked by the rain. I saw mothers breastfeeding in the ruins of their homes and children playing in the flooded waters of their neighborhoods. But when I entered a small tent community that experienced about two feet of flooding I was shocked.  Even after it was clear that their homes were flooded, they remained. They cooked food standing shin deep in water, children giggled sitting on chairs above the water and women took naps on beds that were partially submerged.  What could possibly cause people to feel more safe and secure napping in a flooded, wind-tattered tent than evacuating to a sturdy, dry shelter?  Why do they turn a deaf ear to pleas by the government and aid groups to evacuate?  Some say that they have no place to go.  Or they are afraid if they leave they will never be allowed back. Or that everything they own will be stolen in their absence. The lack of secure housing is an immediate problem that needs to be solved to lessen the damage caused by disasters.  But there are a host of other problems that are raised by events like Isaac whose answers are much more elusive.”

Source: pulitzercenter.org

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