The storm has passed, but Haiti is still in turmoil

Remember how devastating it was to lose 2,974 Americans in the 9/11 attacks? It seemed so monstrous. So overwhelming. We couldn't comprehend a death of that magnitude.

Now imagine that happening every few years, with no safeguards in place to protect lives(emphasis in quote is mine):

"According to varying estimates, this last month's four powerful storms have killed about 300 people in Haiti or as many as a 1,000 -- authorities now say they have given up counting -- and have made about 1 million people homeless, in a country of 7 million. In May, before the hurricane season even started, flash floods killed 2,000. In 2004, Hurricane Jeanne killed about 3,000 Haitians, many of them in Gonaives, a flatland, waterside city hard hit once again in this year's spate of Atlantic storms. In 1963, Hurricane Flora killed more than 8,000. This year's storms have come at the worst possible moment in Haiti's agricultural calendar -- destroying most of the country's crops and drowning or starving thousands of animals."

From Hurricanes and Haiti by Amy Wilentz

I would encourage all of you to read this entire article over the weekend.