Earthquake in Haiti

15 January 2010

The full extent of human suffering in Haiti is yet to emerge, after a very strong earthquake devastated one of the poorest nations on our planet. The damages are extensive, and it will take a long time for Haiti to recover, physically and emontionally.

Terror of earthquakes lies in its ever-present threat and unpredictability. There are certain factors, such as existence of active faults, that make earthquakes possible and even likely, but there is no way of predicting accurately when they will strike. We humans are blessed with the ability to plan ahead and aware of potential consequences of decisions we make, but perhaps this capacity makes it more difficult for us to accept that there are sheer forces of nature we are yet able to control or prevent from happening.

Japanese papers are quoting seismologists, who are pointing out that the nature of the earthquake in Haiti resembles closely the 1995 Kobe earthquake. If this is the case, and because the quake was stronger in Haiti, the city of Port-au-Prince must now be a rubble.

I can only hope aid and succour will reach the people of Haiti soon, despite all the logistical problems.