Haiti, in the West Indies, occupies the western third of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. About the size of Maryland, Haiti is two-thirds mountainous, with the rest of the country marked by great valleys, extensive plateaus, and small plains.
“The struggling country was dealt a catastrophic blow in January 2010 when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck 10 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, the country’s capital. It was region’s worst earthquake in 200 years. The quake leveled many sections of the city, destroying government buildings, foreign aid offices, and countless slums”.
In early 2012, half a million Haitians were still living in tents. Despite billions of dollars in aid, many people were still without safe, permanent housing in the fall of 2012. Tens of thousands were staying in buildings badly damaged during the earthquake.
In late August 2012, Tropical Storm Isaac hit Haiti which caused flooding and mudslides. The storm did not generate the kind of widespread damage initially feared. However, the storm was the latest obstacle for a nation still recovering from the devastating 2010 earthquake.
