# do rural Haitians care about the capital being wiped out?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-rural-haitians-care-about-the-capital-being-wiped-out/575326>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [March 20, 2011, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-rural-haitians-care-about-the-capital-being-wiped-out/575326 "2011-03-20T04:11:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![code\_grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@code\_grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/code_grey)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-rural-haitians-care-about-the-capital-being-wiped-out/575326/1 "2011-03-20T04:11:42Z")

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the vast majority of their population seem to live in villages and practice subsistence agriculture. So it’s not like they are losing jobs or not getting access to vital government services because there is no more government (if there ever was one in the first place).

So could it be that the earthquake disaster is simply not relevant to the vast majority of Haitians in the present and has zero bearing to their long term future (of being same old, same old subsistence agricultural society) as well?

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**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-rural-haitians-care-about-the-capital-being-wiped-out/575326/2 "2011-03-20T06:56:24Z")

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I don’t think Port-au-Prince is as small a minority of the populace as all that.

> [@Wikipedia](#):
>
> The city’s official population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census.

> [@Wikipedia](#):
>
> [national pop.] - 2011 estimate: 9,719,932

> [@Wikipedia](#):
>
> A 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti and devastated Port-au-Prince on January 12, 2010. Although the exact number was difficult to determine, the highest unbiased source estimated 220,000 people were killed.

In general, massive disaster in a metropolis is rough on the countryside. You’re losing business, directly or indirectly. You may be taking in refugees.