# Why do natural disasters seem to impact Haiti much worse than DR? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 8, 2016, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-natural-disasters-seem-to-impact-haiti-much-worse-than-dr/767924 "2016-10-08T11:58:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-natural-disasters-seem-to-impact-haiti-much-worse-than-dr/767924/1 "2016-10-08T11:58:09Z")
They comprise the same island. But many times in my life, I remember thinking to myself that Haiti never seems to catch a break with these things. Is is just bad luck? ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-natural-disasters-seem-to-impact-haiti-much-worse-than-dr/767924/2 "2016-10-08T12:23:14Z")
Haitians are poorer. Everyone knows the poor get the worst of it. ---
**Author:** ![Ionizer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5daacb/32.png) [@Ionizer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ionizer)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-natural-disasters-seem-to-impact-haiti-much-worse-than-dr/767924/3 "2016-10-08T12:41:20Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > They comprise the same island. (…snip) Yrs, they are on same ‘island’, but the amount of trees/vegeation is vastly different. Find a good satellite image of the ‘island’ and it is very striking as to the difference between the two countries’ groundcover. Heavy rain affects non-vegetated land much more readily than forested or ground-cover growth). This is one reason why flooding can be much worse and do lots more damage re: Haiti -v- Dom Rep with all else being basically equal. There is likely more to it overall, but the deforstation of Haiti causes bigger probs when voluminous amounts of water fall than an area with vegetation that slows erosion…in a nutshell. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-natural-disasters-seem-to-impact-haiti-much-worse-than-dr/767924/4 "2016-10-08T13:34:04Z")
Haiti doesn’t have as much infrastructure as the Dominican Republic. I heard on The Young Turks that DR has building codes, and Haiti does not. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-natural-disasters-seem-to-impact-haiti-much-worse-than-dr/767924/5 "2016-10-08T13:53:33Z")
The combination of tin roof “shacks”, torrential rain, and 150 mph winds is deadly. They lacked the infrastructure for people to shelter through the storm. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-natural-disasters-seem-to-impact-haiti-much-worse-than-dr/767924/6 "2016-10-08T13:55:38Z")
Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas. Typical residential building standards are much worse than in the DR. Much easier to blow a zinc roof off if it is held down by literal baling wire. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-natural-disasters-seem-to-impact-haiti-much-worse-than-dr/767924/7 "2016-10-08T14:46:35Z")
We had a thread a few years ago on the general difference between Haiti and the DR. TL/DR: while both had a history of post-independence misgovernment and poverty, the ruling classes of the DR at least seemed to care more about having a country worth running and leaving some sort of legacy. At the lower threshold levels just a little better infrastructure and social capital can make an enormous difference. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-natural-disasters-seem-to-impact-haiti-much-worse-than-dr/767924/8 "2016-10-08T14:51:41Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > They comprise the same island. Hispaniola comprises the two countries. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-natural-disasters-seem-to-impact-haiti-much-worse-than-dr/767924/9 "2016-10-08T17:48:00Z")
Maybe civil preparation. Cuba has had plentiy of hurricanes in the past few decades, and rarely are there more than one or two casualties, because of a very rigid and efficient system of mandatory public safety preparation for the event. Participating in the drills and exercises of evacuation or home preparation is not optional. From 1996 to 2002, in six major hurricanes, there were only 16 deaths in Cuba. > **[Disasters and the Law](https://books.google.com/books?id=7CRaVd6OJ7oC&pg=PA215&lpg=PA215&dq=hurricane%2Bfatalities%2Bcuba&source=bl&ots=5TwdKB_6dp&sig=w_ca4GY4uDr99uSW2JgVE3FPfEg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjQusOl4svPAhXINSYKHQd3Ccc4ChDoAQg2MAY#v=onepage&q=hurricane%20fatalities%20cuba&f=false)** > > Recent hurricanes and other natural disasters demonstrate serious gaps in the legal system and its ability to respond to events of such magnitude. Disasters and the Law: Katrina and Beyond studies disaster response, prevention, and mitigation... ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-natural-disasters-seem-to-impact-haiti-much-worse-than-dr/767924/10 "2016-10-08T18:07:29Z")
It’s because the Haitians made a pact with the Devil to break free of the French and become an independent nation… What? That’s what I heard from some preacher, so you know it’s true! ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-natural-disasters-seem-to-impact-haiti-much-worse-than-dr/767924/11 "2016-10-08T22:26:11Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > They comprise the same island. But many times in my life, I remember thinking to myself that Haiti never seems to catch a break with these things. Is is just bad luck? No, it’s being poor as dirt. Some factors: - near complete lack of building codes, possibly an actual lack of building codes. - lack of quality building materials, a lot of Haitian buildings are made of what most other countries would call scrap and trash. - deforestation makes hillsides unstable, leading to mud/landslides - little to no infrastructure, which, among other things, means a lack of public shelters of any consequence or sturdiness for those wishing to evacuate from the worst affected areas. - lack of rescue equipment for first responders. - lack of resources for something like the US’s National Guard, which render aid after disasters. Haitians are largely on their own indefinitely after any calamity. - Overpopulation means lots of people piled up on the ocean front trying to make a living from the sea, as well as any other sort of work they can find. This leaves them vulnerable to storm surges. - They’re still recovering/rebuilding from the 2010 quake (lack of funding due to poverty being a major reason for slow progress) so a lot of stuff damaged by the quake that hasn’t been fixed yet was very easy for the hurricane to knock down (again). The Native Americans (Taino) that once lived on Hispaniola probably simply ran inland during a hurricane (there are natural caves on the island, as well as high ground, which would have provided some protection), but there are just too damn many people on the island these days for that to be a viable solution. Of course, in the old days people died in hurricanes as well. As far as material comforts and standard of living, a lot of modern Haitians are arguably worse off than their Taino predecessors. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-natural-disasters-seem-to-impact-haiti-much-worse-than-dr/767924/12 "2016-10-08T23:32:59Z")
Haiti is on the left side, which is traditionally unlucky. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-natural-disasters-seem-to-impact-haiti-much-worse-than-dr/767924/13 "2016-10-08T23:58:59Z")
[Natural catastrophes are as much a result of poverty and weak government as plate tectonics and weather - that’s why they hit the world’s poor hardest.](https://www.allianz.com/en/about_us/open-knowledge/topics/environment/articles/100316-the-cycle-of-poverty-and-natural-disasters.html/) They point out that the earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010 caused 200,000 deaths, while a much stronger one that hit Chile a few weeks later only killed 500. Poorly built buildings in Haiti collapsed, better built ones in Chile didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-natural-disasters-seem-to-impact-haiti-much-worse-than-dr/767924/14 "2016-10-09T01:38:52Z")
Haiti doesn’t get hit more, it’s just vastly less prepared. The DR has better infrastructure, by orders of magnitude, an organized, active emergency system – called the Civil Defense – and a very well connected population. Virtually everyone has access to radio or TV and telephone. The government can and does commandeer the radio waves to keep people informed and warned. Despite all that, we could do much better, and sometimes deaths do occur. Oh, and Haiti got the shitty side of the island, deforestation has of course made that much, much worse. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-natural-disasters-seem-to-impact-haiti-much-worse-than-dr/767924/15 "2016-10-09T02:31:21Z")
Images of the border between Haiti and the DR, showing deforestation. [https://www.google.com/search?q=border+haiti+dominican+republic+deforestation&biw=1024&bih=679&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjC1ZTm1szPAhXGeCYKHVQyDq8QsAQIGw](https://www.google.com/search?q=border+haiti+dominican+republic+deforestation&biw=1024&bih=679&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjC1ZTm1szPAhXGeCYKHVQyDq8QsAQIGw) ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2016, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-natural-disasters-seem-to-impact-haiti-much-worse-than-dr/767924/16 "2016-10-10T19:27:51Z")
From [here](http://insidedisaster.com/haiti/the-quake/why-was-the-destruction-so-severe): > [@](#): > > Unlike in other countries located on or near fault lines, very few of Haiti’s buildings were constructed for earthquake resistance. An absence of building codes combined with a deficit of licensed contractors, engineers and architects contributed to a structural environment ripe for disaster. From informal housing to multi-storeys (sic) in downtown Port-au-Prince, collapsed buildings became death traps for thousands of Haitians. “The buildings were brittle and had no flexibility, breaking catastrophically when the earthquake struck,” said seismologist Ian Main. I have been part of a team that helped build a school in rural Haiti. This was in an area completely off the grid, no running water or power. The concrete was mixed on site in a dug out depression in the ground, using sand and water from the nearby creek. The blocks were formed by hand and set out to “cure”. In the US those blocks would go through a curing cycle of alternately wetting and drying over almost a month before being used. In Haiti they are commonly used the next day. This results in a very brittle, inflexible block with little strength. If a quake or strong wind causes the walls to move, even a bit, they are subject to catastrophic crumbling. It was a constant cycle of forming block today to be used by the building crew tomorrow. Expressing our concerns was just met with feigned deafness or “This is the way it is done here”. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2016, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-natural-disasters-seem-to-impact-haiti-much-worse-than-dr/767924/17 "2016-10-11T00:56:47Z")
I was going to say simply “trees”, but those with more knowledge have expounded on what deforestation can do. Trees and poverty, compounding each other. Trees, of course, aren’t the only thing, but lack of trees has had unforeseen consequences. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2016, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-natural-disasters-seem-to-impact-haiti-much-worse-than-dr/767924/18 "2016-10-11T16:28:37Z")
[Here.](http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/11/americas/haiti-dominican-republic-visual-explainer/index.html) Lots of graphs and photos, and good explanations. It seems to come down to one major thing: Poverty. Haiti is grindingly impoverished, which leads to a lot of stuff: flimsy infrastructure (and poor construction in general), inadequate communications, deforestation (for fuel, and historical deforestation for slash-and-burn agriculture), borderline malnutrition, minimal or non-existent health care, inadequate disaster preparation, and more poverty. The next question is “Why is Haiti so much poorer than the D.R.?”