Two years ago today the largest earthquake in over two hundred years struck Haiti. Mixed with the already impoverished conditions of the country, the powerful quake left 220,00 dead (including ELCA seminarian Ben Larson), 300,000+ injured and 1.5 million homeless. The immediate response was overwhelming in size and scope as relief agencies around the world began to respond and people began to give. In the ELCA alone more than 13 million was given through ELCA Disaster Response.

Yet, as the full extent of devastation became known, people realized that much more was at play here than the aftereffects of a major disaster. Part of the issue was that relief work is focused on bringing people back to normalcy as they put their lives back in order after a tragedy. In Haiti the “normalcy” prior to the earthquake was over 70% of the country living on less than $2/day, 86% of the people in the capital Port-au-Prince living in slums where half of the city had no access to latrines and only one-third had access to clean water. As people began relief (short-term) efforts they quickly realized their actions could also contribute to development (long-term) opportunities in the country.

Haiti relief efforts has become a watershed moment in how we understand disaster relief and international development as part of a holistic response. As we look back today in somber remembrance of those lost and the lives impacted by this tragedy, I believe it a fitting tribute to see what we have learned about creating better capacity to mitigate the effects of disasters and learning how to connect this work with longer-range development.
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Late last week the ELCA committed over $500,000 to help the Lutheran Church in Haiti as it continues to respond to the cholera epidemic that has affected the country since October 2010. As of May almost 125,000 people have been hospitalized resulting in over 5000 deaths. The main cause of the epidemic has been linked to poor access to drinking water and insufficient waste management. This newest commitment by the ELCA is on top of an original designation of $525,000 for cholera prevention and education made last November.

The Lutheran Church in Haiti is responding in two of the hardest hit areas, targeting 17,000 families (approx. 100,000 people), by providing management of patients and prevention education and efforts. This new phase, running from May to October, is a continuation of an earlier phase that ran from February to May. The focus of both phases is on educating and supporting families by sharing ways to prevent the spread of cholera and what to do once a person becomes infected. As part of this effort a mobile medical and paramedical team of 90 health agents, 2 doctors and 4 nurses has been mobilized. So far the earlier intervention has led to 430 lives saved and 3,100 cases of cholera contained.

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Gifts to ELCA International Disaster Response allow the church to respond globally in times of need. Donate now.

During an interview with Orion Samuelson for “This Week in Agribusiness” (video), Bishop Hanson took time to speak about his experiences visiting Haiti in February. He told stories of seeing a people “defined not by the rubble, but by restoration,” a quote he got from the president of the Lutheran Church in Haiti, Rev. Joseph Livenson Lauvanus. He shared of the forest restoration project funded by the ELCA and partners like Lutheran World Federation and the Lutheran Church in Haiti to replace trees cut down for survival after the earthquake, of a coffee cooperative that was funded in part by the ELCA prior to the earthquake that still thrives after, and of other farming, vocational and housing projects underway.

To learn more read the ELCA News Release.

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Gifts to ELCA International Disaster Response allow the church to respond globally in times of need. Donate now.

Over two days at the end of February ELCA Presiding Bishop, Rev. Mark S. Hanson, visited Haiti to see first-hand how the church is continuing to engage the people and their needs in this period of recovery and restoration. He was accompanied on his trip by the ELCA’s International Disaster Response representative and was hosted by the President of the Eglise Lutherienne d’Haiti (The Lutheran Church of Haiti), Rev. Joseph Livenson Lauvanus.

In a statement that seemed to sum up the good work going on Rev. Lauvanus proclaimed, “We Haitians will not be defined by the rubble, but by restoration, for we are a people of the resurrection.” Bishop Hanson said that what he saw in the work and lives of the people of Haiti was an embodiment of this statement and the reason why these moments when the church can accompany brothers and sisters are of benefit to all those involved.

Let us continue to pray that this resurrection spirit continues to dwell and inspire the work of restoration from the rubble.

Read the full press release.

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Gifts to ELCA International Disaster Response allow the church to respond globally in times of need. Donate now.

This morning I woke and took fifteen minutes to think about the last year, its successes and challenges, moments to remember both good and bad, and the hopefulness found through it all.  I think it is important that we all see ourselves as participants in this effort.  Through the sharing of our gifted resources, taking moments in silence to pray in solidarity with those who continue to struggle in Haiti, sharing information and stories to one another to continue to build awareness on the issues facing Haiti, contributing your skills and expertise through volunteerism; all these contributions manifests a community participating in the renewal of hope and livelihoods in Haiti.

I can not put into words the overwhelming feeling of frustration and pain felt when conditions don’t seem to improve.  While relief efforts were quick to respond to emergency needs, recovery efforts have been slow to start; housing is still a daily struggle for hundreds of thousands of families that are still displaced and living in camps. Yet, Haitian colleagues, who have themselves suffered loss, are dedicated to the work they do for their fellow citizens and continue to persevere with rebuilding efforts.

I see hopefulness in changes seen.  Children have returned to school, signaling the strengthening of Haiti’s next generation of leadership and workers.  People are back to work, earning a wage to provide for their families and beginning the work of rebuilding their own lives.

So, on this anniversary day, I want to extend gratitude for all the gifts that have been shared and challenge you to continue to find ways to contribute to the rebuilding of Haiti.  Years of work remains ahead of us as Haiti continues to recover from the earthquake and addresses conditions of poverty.

I also invite each of you to hold a minute of silence to honor the victims of the 2010 earthquake at 4:34 pm (Haitian time), exactly one year from when the earthquake struck.

God’s Peace,

Megan

The ACT Alliance has published a consolidated fact sheet on Haiti, providing statistical information on the earthquake in 2010.  The ELCA is a member of the global ACT Alliance which brings together over 100 actors in humanitarian aid and development.  The one statistic that is still under dispute is the loss of lives; sources report between 230,000 and 250,000.

7.0……………… strength of January 12 2010 earthquake on Richter scale

230 000……….. people lost their lives – at least

1.5 million…….. people with no permanent home today

1.3 million…….. people living in makeshift camps today

2 million……….. people living in the most affected area of Port au Prince

250,000……….. homes destroyed in capital

30,000…………. commercial buildings destroyed in capital

90………………. percentage of buildings in the city of Léogâne that were destroyed

1,100………….. camps built over the past year, 54 of which have been home to 5,000 people or more

500…………….. camps in Port au Prince today

15,000………… primary schools severely damaged or destroyed

1,500………….. secondary schools severely damaged or destroyed

20 million m3.. quantity of rubble and debris remaining in Port au Prince: enough to fill a solid line of shipping containers stretching from London to Beirut

1……………….. approved dumping site for rubble in the country (at Varreux in Port-au-Prince)