Haiti

Country hit by worst earthquake in over two centuries

On 12 January, Haiti was hit by the strongest earthquake in over two centuries, devastating the country's capital, Port-au-Prince, and affecting as many as three million people throughout the country. According to the latest estimates, over 200,000 people may have died, another 300,000 injured and over two million people left homeless. Although it is too early to calculate the total amount of damages caused by the earthquake, the final figure is expected to surpass the damage caused by the four hurricanes that hit the island in 2008, which resulted in a loss of around 15% of GDP. In fact, government officials have already stated that the GDP loss may amount to as much as 25%. The international community has responded promptly, and thousands of aid workers have already moved into the country, while millions of dollars worth of humanitarian aid have been collected. After the initial rescue stage, the priority will be to assist the country into re-establishing a functional government and to embark on a general reconstruction plan.