Haiti Disaster 2010
The recent Haiti disaster
has grabbed the world’s attention and inspired many to raise thousands in donations.
Craig Elderfield from Fulham: “I’m not sure how other countries are getting involved, but I have seen nothing but posters and TV coverage to raise aid for Haiti. Whether this is enough I don’t know, but you get the impression we care as a nation, or at least people out there are trying to make us care, and that’s important.
Moving forward I don’t think there really is a way we can help countries be prepared. How can you prepare for an earthquake or a tidal wave? Any one of those would immeasurably damage a city in the western world no matter how much money and infrastructure we had, look at New Orleans.”
Another resident of Fulham, who wished to remain anonymous, echoed Craig’s response when asked whether we could do anything to help vulnerable nations in future be better prepared to handle natural disasters: “How can you help all vulnerable countries prepare for all catastrophes? That's not to say we shouldn't try to help, but where do you start? Would the money spent preparing for possible events in various locations be better spent helping those that need it now and in the near future?I think there is definitely a global responsibility that needs to be addressed here but also the country itself needs to minimise risk. For example, I read somewhere that 60% of buildings in Port-au-Prince were condemnable prior to the earthquake.”
Mr. Patel, who works in Hammersmith, is proud to hear about how much the nation is doing to help the suffering in Haiti: “I think we have become more sensitive to natural disasters and the plight of others around the world. This may be because these events are covered more with media or maybe because we've started caring more. The plight of Haiti has been everywhere I look so I think we are doing a marvellous job. I went to watch a theatre show recently and at the end of it, the cast all came out and asked the crowd to make a donation. The cast all lined up with their collection boxes outside the theatre and I was pretty impressed.”
Sarah Brooker of West Kensington is optimistic that Haiti will make a full recovery from this tragedy: “It’s devastating to see the extent of the damage caused in Haiti and the destruction it’s had on the lives of the people there. I do think that the world has reacted swiftly and efficiently though. It certainly is remarkable to see survivors being pulled out from under the rubble after two weeks and definitely puts things into perspective. I think with the aid and generous donations we make, Haiti will make a strong recovery.”
In Shepherd’s Bush Mr. Lopez was in a reflective mood and questioned why it came to this: “With there being so much negativity and unnecessary bloodshed in the world today, why does it take such a hugely tragic natural disaster to hit the innocent people of the Earth to momentarily unite everyone? It’s touching to see but it should not have to come down to this. We should take this as a message from God that there are more important things in this life. My thoughts and prayers are with those in Haiti. I have donated already and I hope the community of Hammersmith & Fulham have done so too.”
Author: James Massoud is a freelance writer based in West Kensington. He has contributed to publications such as the Slough Observer and Hotcourses, and to websites such as Soccerlens and Suite101. James is also in charge of the pimlicopeople.co.uk website where he sources and writes local news in the area. He is the author of an adult fiction novel called Guinea Pig, which is getting published by Raider. His debut novel is due to be released in early 2010.