Update on Haiti

The following is an update from the New York Times, on March 21st, regarding updates on earthquake deaths, the March 20th election, reconstruction, and more.

One of the poorest and least developed countries in the world, Haiti in recent years has struggled with problems ranging from near-constant political upheaval, health crises, an annual barrage of hurricanes. and the worst earthquake in the region in more than 200 years.

The quake that struck on Jan. 10, 2010, reduced much of the capital, Port-au-Prince, to rubble. A study by the Inter-American Development Bank estimated that the total cost of the disaster was between $8 billion to $14 billion, based on a death toll from 200,000 to 250,000. That number was revised in 2011 by Haiti's government to 316,000.

More than a million displaced people still live under tents and tarpaulins. International donors promised Haiti $5.3 billion at a March 2010 donor’s conference. But reconstruction involving better buildings and roads has barely begun. Officials’ sole point of pride six months after the earthquake — that disease and violence had been averted — vanished with the outbreak of cholera.

Two conservative rivals faced off in a March 20, 2011, election runoff. Mirlande H. Manigat, a former first lady and college administrator who was the top vote getter in the election in November 2010, is running against Michel Martelly, a performer with the stage name Sweet Micky.

And in mid-March, days before the election, and despite warnings from President Obama that his return could cause yet another tumultuous political development here, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the twice-exiled former president of Haiti, returned home.

On voting day, many of the ballots arrived late and some voters were turned away, but the problems appeared minimal. As yet, the outcome of the election is unclear.
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