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Disruptions of Evil Caused by Haiti Earthquake
On January 12th, 2010, the Capital of Haiti was devastated by a magnitude 7 earthquake that left over 280,000 dead, 300,000 injured, and millions homeless, thus generating one of the most horrific natural disasters documented [1]. From being one of the largest earthquakes to ever hit our planet in over 200 years, the effects on the physical environment and the shattered community are still evident in Haiti today, almost 7 years later. From shortages in food to fresh water sources, individuals that reside in Haiti were forced to evacuate amongst the turmoil, proceeding towards larger issues such as appropriate living conditions and the increased chances …show more content…
As the symbol black represents destruction, this is directly related to the crisis in Haiti contracting this symbol to the thousands of deaths as well as the obliteration towards the physical environment. Described by J.C. Cooper, black is defined as “the darkness of death; shame; despair; destruction; corruption; grief; sadness; humiliation; gravity; consistency” [2]. After the earthquake, many damages were done to the physical environment, which affected the food and water supply. Described in an article written by Hervil Cherubin, “most of the crops are gone. Many of the farm fields are like landfills. They’re full of trash, seawater, gravel and other debris”, evidently displaying the food crisis in Haiti [3]. Furthermore, the profits of farmers who are already financially unstable have decreased dramatically due to the damages done by the vast expenditure of containments and other pollutants affecting the fertile soil. Farmer Juste Jean Fenel who resides …show more content…
Coopers book, hope is “symbolized in the West by the anchor, or a woman with a globe, cornucopia, pear or beehive; sometimes she has a galleon in full sail surmounting her head” [7]. After the earthquake took place, there was hope that Haiti would become the same nation as it was before the events. Many non-profit organizations collected funding from several nations to aid in the assistance of redevelopment in Haiti. As explained in The Guardian newspaper article, Haiti received an unprecedented amount of support: more than $9bn (£5.6bn) in public and private donations. Official bilateral and multilateral donors pledged $13bn and, according to the UN Office of the Special Envoy for Haiti, almost 50% of these pledges ($6bn) have been disbursed. Private donations are estimated at $3bn” [8]. In addition to this, the UN also stated that “international donors gave Haiti over $1.6 billion in relief aid since the earthquake (about $155 per Haitian) and over $2 billion in recovery aid (about $173 per Haitian) over the last two years” [9]. Evidently, the number of donations towards the Haiti crisis definitely provided a sense of hope for those who were affected by the earthquake.
Through symbols black and hope, the comparisons between the physical environment and the concept of evil were evident facing the horrific events that took place in Haiti. From the destruction towards the physical environment causing a shattered community, to the millions donated towards rebuilding Haiti,