Haiti floods: a social, not a ‘natural,’ disaster

Frequent flash floods are a worsening feature of Haitian life, as living conditions continue to deteriorate. About 3,000 Haitians perished after floods and mudslides in June in the border region between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Only 1 percent of Haiti retains tree cover. This extreme deforestation—the worst in the Americas—exacerbates the effect of even a minor rainfall, causing massive runoff, mudslides and erosion, clogging rivers and lakes, and polluting coastal waters.

The imperialist powers that have dominated Haiti have left it so underdeveloped that most people have no source of modern energy. The national electrical system only serves a tiny minority. Average electrical consumption per person in Haiti is only 2.8 percent of U.S. per capita consumption. The real figure for workers and peasants, however, is a lot less than the national average, which fell 18 percent in the 1990s. With no alternative source of fuel, Haitian workers have used Haiti’s forests to manufacture charcoal both for their own use and to eke out a living by selling it. About 70 percent of Haitian homes use charcoal or wood for cooking and heating water.

Two thirds of Haitians live under the national poverty level. Annual per capita income in this predominantly agricultural country is only $440, intensifying the pressure on the land. Many survive with help from family members living in the United States or other countries. Haitians living abroad send remittances to relatives and others at home totaling about $800 million per year.

The coastal city of Gonaives with a population of 200,000 was largely underwater September 18, after the storm hit the north coast of the island, on its way to the Bahamas and central Florida. Parts of Gonaives remained submerged a week later. Flood waters rose 10 feet as overflowing rivers from the valleys above the city poured down, charged with mud and rocks. Bodies were carried down rivers and streams into the city.

Port de Paix, on the northern coast, lost 56 people to the flood waters. Up river from Port de Paix, the small town of Chansolme was reported to have 400 people missing and 18 dead. Gros Morne, Pilate, Ennery, Passereine, Poteaux, and Mapou were among the many other towns and villages that were reportedly hard hit. With roads washed out and telephones inoperative, however, information on the scope of the disaster is incomplete.

Many rivers flow into the Quinte River, which drains into the sea at Gonaives, whose highest point is only two meters above sea level. As tributaries overflowed their banks, rising 30 feet in some cases, the rising water caused city residents to seek shelter on rooftops and trees. Waters rose to roof level, causing the whole city to look like a lake with rafts floating on it as the sun rose the morning after the flood, according to an eye witness who was lucky enough to find a rooftop refuge with his family. Whole families were lost. Every building in Gonaives is said to be affected, with 4,000 completely destroyed.

The hospital in Gonaives was still out of commission a week later after it was hit by a mudslide. Bodies of patients were still buried in the knee-deep mud.

There is no fresh water or electricity in the city.

An article in the Miami Herald from Dibedou gives a picture of the damage in the countryside. “[S]ome of the houses built on low-lying areas were washed away, and most of their families lost their farm animals and their crops,” it said.

“The floodwaters receded here almost as quickly as they came. But now the land itself is wounded: Fields once planted with corn and sorghum are covered with boulders; a thick, now-dry layer of mud covering other fields will take months to plow and replant. ‘We lost eight cows and eight goats,’ said Asemene Donasien, pointing to a shed where her family’s corn harvest was stored. Soaked by the floods, the corn is now ruined for eating or as seed for planting.”

The damage to crops will intensify the food crisis over the coming months.

Read More
http://www.themilitant.com/2004/6837/683703.html