Haiti's earthquake of 12thJanuary 2010 killed over 220 000 people, injured 300. 000, left well over one million homeless, and destroyed infrastructure, services andhomes. The cost of reconstruction is estimated at US$11. 5 billion. This happenedin a country already the poorest in the western hemisphere, ranked 149 out of 182countries on the 2009 Human Development Index, with some 78% of itspopulation living on under US$2 a day, and beset by huge societal inequality andweak governance.
While recognising the effects of the disaster on the whole country, this study is required to focus on the impact within urban areas, and to ask, what can be learnt for international NGOs for the next urban disaster?
Agencies need to learn ˜new rules of the game' in urban pre and post-disaster response. Issues of complexity, range of actors, space, the importance ofcommerce and trade, services, infrastructure and sheer concentrations of peoplerequire a consideration of how to operate compared to rural contexts, includingcollaborations (with government and the private sector), the importance of cashbased programmes, markets and housing. Haiti's earthquake of 12thJanuary 2010 killed over 220 000 people, injured 300. 000, left well over one million homeless, and destroyed infrastructure, services andhomes. The cost of reconstruction is estimated at US$11. 5 billion. This happenedin a country already the poorest in the western hemisphere, ranked 149 out of 182countries on the 2009 Human Development Index, with some 78% of itspopulation living on under US$2 a day, and beset by huge societal inequality andweak governance.
While recognising the effects of the disaster on the whole country, this study is required to focus on the impact within urban areas, and to ask, what can be learnt for international NGOs for the next urban disaster?
Agencies need to learn ˜new rules of the game' in urban pre and post-disaster response. Issues of complexity, range of actors, space, the importance ofcommerce and trade, services, infrastructure and sheer concentrations of peoplerequire a consideration of how to operate compared to rural contexts, includingcollaborations (with government and the private sector), the importance of cashbased programmes, markets and housing.