Most countries fail to deliver on Haiti aid pledges

[Papa_Complex]

Originally Posted by Smittie61984

Probably a good thing. Between going through the UN and then the Haitian government, I'd be impressed if 1% of that 5.3billion is actually used for recovery.

Now here is something I have been trying to figure out. Haiti and the Dominican Republic share the same island (Hispanolia I think). So there is no barrier other than a straight line on a map to divide the two countries. What happens to one side should happen to the other (or at least do something). How come in this whole earthquake deal I haven't heard one thing about the Dominican Republic? Did they not get affected at all by the earthquake?

There are some very simple reasons for that. The earthquake's epicentre was on the Haitian side of the island and Haitian buildings are most commonly put together with concrete only, no re-bar, largely due to the crushing poverty that they live in. The shaking caused by the earthquake cracked the concrete which, with no re-bar to hold things together, resulted in catastrophic failure of the buildings.

Months after the quake many people STILL don't want to go back into buildings, for fear that they'll come down on them.

The Dominican Republic is more prosperous and uses different construction methods. Where Haiti has been virtually denuded of trees, the DR has forestry. For all intents and purposes there were no wooden buildings in Haiti; all concrete.

When I donated, I chose to donate to ShelterBox, in addition to the Red Cross. The idea that people would get a box that would cover all their needs, that I could track to the destination, was rather compelling. My family pooled our money to buy two.