Production Of Disaster And Recovery In Post Earthquake Haiti

Natural disasters have long been seen as naturally generated events, but as scientific, technological, and social knowledge of disasters has become more sophisticated, the part that people and systems play in disaster events has become more apparent. Production of Disaster and Recovery in Post-Earthquake Haiti demonstrates how social processes impact disasters as they unfold, through the distribution of power and resources, the use of discourses and images of disaster, and the economic and social systems and relations which underlie affected communities. The authors show how these processes played out in post-earthquake Haiti to set in motion the mechanics of the disaster industrial complex to (re)produce disasters and recovery rather than bring sustainable change. The book reveals that disaster and recovery rhetoric helped create fertile conditions for neoliberal disaster governance, militarized and digital humanitarianism, non-profiteering, and disaster opportunism to flourish while further disenfranchising marginalized populations. However, the Haiti earthquake, as is the case with all disaster sites, was ripe with mutual aid, community building, and collective action, all of which further local resilience. The authors seek to re-construct dominant discourses, policies, and practices to advance equitable, participatory partnerships with local community actors and propose a praxis for a people’s recovery as an action-oriented framework for resisting the transnational disaster industrial machinery. The authors argue for new synergies in policymaking and program development that can respond to emergencies and plan for true long-term, sustainable development after disasters that focuses as much on humans and the natural world as it does on economic progress. Production of Disaster and Recovery in Post-Earthquake Haiti will be of great interest to students and scholars of disaster studies, humanitarian studies, development studies, Haitian studies, geography and environmental studies, as well as to non-governmental organizations, humanitarians, and policymakers.

The humanitarian response undertaken in Haiti after the earthquake that struck on 12 January 2010 has been one of the most complex ever. However, as the first anniversary of the quake approaches, the Haitian state, together with the international community, is making little progress in reconstruction. The Haitian authorities need to show greater strategic leadership and take decisions that reflect the priority needs of the Haitian population. They need to initiate public infrastructure projects that put people to work and build skills; support people to return home or allocate land for new houses; and invest in agriculture. The international community should do much more to support these efforts by increasing the capacity and accountability of Haitian institutions.

This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. The largest earthquake ever recorded in Haiti devastated parts of the country, including the capital, on Jan. 12, 2010. The quake, centered about 15 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, had a magnitude of 7.0. The focus of this report is on the immediate crisis in Haiti as a result of the earthquake and the U.S. and international response as of 1/15/10. Contents: (1) Current Conditions; (2) Haitian Gov¿t. Response; (3) Humanitarian Relief Operation; (4) U.S. Response; (5) International Response; (6) Response of International Financial Institutions; (7) Regional Response ; (8) Implications for Haiti; (9) Congressional Concerns: Funding; Immigration; Constituent Concerns and Private Charities; (10) Legislation in the 111th Congress. Illus.

“Paul Farmer, doctor and aid worker, offers an inspiring insider's view of the relief effort.”—Financial Times “The book's greatest strength lies in its depiction of the post-quake chaos… In the book's more analytical sections the author's diagnosis of the difficulties of reconstruction is sharp.” —Economist “A gripping, profoundly moving book, an urgent dispatch from the front by one of our finest warriors for social justice.” —Adam Hochschild “His honest assessment of what the people trying to help Haiti did well—and where they failed—is important for anyone who cares about the country or international aid in general.” —Miami Herald

Displacement has traditionally been conceptualized as a phenomenon that results from conflict or other disruptions in developing or unstable countries. Hurricane Katrina shattered this notion and highlighted the various dilemmas of population displacement in the United States. The dilemmas stem from that of inconsistent terminology and definitions; lack of efforts to quantify displacement risk potential and that factor displacement vulnerability into community plans; lack of understanding of differential needs of "displacees" especially during long-term recovery periods; and policy and institutional responses (or lack thereof) especially as it relates to post-disaster sheltering and housing. Incorporating relevant examples, cases, and policies Esnard and Sapat look at the experience of other countries and how the international community has dealt with hundreds of thousands of individuals who have been forced to leave their homes. Displaced by Disaster addresses such issues from a planning and policy perspective informed by scholarship in disciplines such as emergency management; political science; sociology and anthropology. It is ideal for students and practitioners working in the areas of disaster management, planning, public administration and policy, housing, and the many disciplines connected to disaster issues.

This book offers an interdisciplinary discussion of a wide range of narrative responses to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. By putting postcolonial literary studies in dialogue with disaster studies, the monograph excavates the multiple tensions within these narratives, while also demonstrating how together they can help us to navigate the complica

A cross-disciplinary volume that combines and puts into dialogue perspectives on disasters, this book includes contributions from anthropology, history, cultural studies, sociology, and literary studies. Offering a rich and diverse set of arguments and analyses on the ever-relevant theme of catastrophe in the circum-Caribbean, it will encourage debate and collaboration between scholars working on disasters from a range of disciplinary perspectives.

"Building Back Better" (BBB) has been a popular slogan in disaster recovery efforts around the world, including the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, the 2009 Samoan Tsunami, the 2010 Haiti Earthquake and the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. BBB has recently been identified as one of four priorities of action for disaster risk reduction globally in the next 15 years by the United Nations Sendai Framework. However, there has consistently been a mismatch and confusion in the interpretation of the phrase and what BBB encapsulates which has made proper implementation difficult and unsuccessful at times. This book explains the concept of "Building Back Better" as an innovative holistic approach to rebuilding a community following a disaster event in order to develop resilience. It begins by exploring the background, development and definitions of BBB. The theory behind establishing BBB as a holistic concept is explained and the internationally recognised BBB Framework developed by the authors is introduced and described. Each of the components of the Framework are explained in detail with findings from international research and case studies from the US, Haiti, Indonesia, Samoa, Sri Lanka, Vanuatu, Gaza, China, Australia, UK and New Zealand, providing practical recommendations for implementation in recovery projects. There is a focus on the translation of BBB theory into practice to assist implementers to use the BBB Framework and BBB Indicators introduced in this book as an effective tool to plan and implement disaster recovery projects. This publication can be used as a handbook by government, non-governmental and private industry practitioners to prepare for and implement post disaster recovery projects that benefit and strengthen local communities and as a core text on international Disaster and Energy Management courses.