Port-au-Prince in ruins
(From The Japan Times Jan. 16 issue)

ハイチ大災害への救援と教訓

Between 45,000 and 50,000 people are feared dead, and 3 million people may have been injured or lost their homes, the International Federation of the Red Cross reports, from a powerful earthquake and aftershocks that hit the impoverished Caribbean nation of Haiti. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged "all members of the international community to come to Haiti's aid in this hour of need." Japan and all other nations must do all they can to help the people of Haiti.

In the aftermath of the powerful quakes, Haiti badly needs food, water, medicine and doctors. The World Bank will provide $100 million relief money. The United States has also pledged $100 million. Japan will extend ¥30 million worth of emergency aid supplies and up to $5 million in grants to the country. Some Japanese firms have decided to offer help in the form of money and supplies. Relief teams from many countries, including the United States, China, France and Iceland, have arrived but their work faces great obstacles.

Haiti sits on the area where the Caribbean plate and the North American plate meet. A magnitude-7 quake struck at 4:53 p.m. Jan. 12 local time, followed by a series of aftershocks. The Japanese Meteorological Agency said the initial quake was centered 15 km southwest of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince and only 10 km deep.

Reports said that in Port-au-Prince, with a population of some 2 million, many people were buried in rubble as houses, schools and other buildings collapsed. Lifelines such as water and electricity supply were disabled and most hospitals collapsed. Corpses are left on streets and hygiene conditions are deteriorating. The collapse of law and order is feared.

Haitian President Rene Preval described the damage to his country as "unimaginable." Thirty-six members of the U.N. peacekeeping force (PKF) and other U.N. missions in Haiti died, and some 150 other PKF members are unaccounted for. It may be the highest number of fatalities for a U.N. peacekeeping mission.

The tragedy in Haiti, coming so close to the 15th anniversary of the Kobe earthquake Jan. 17, is a reminder that disaster can strike at any time. In quake-prone Japan, the central and local governments must ensure they are fully prepared. All people should take their own precautions, such as ensuring the stability of furniture, and keeping a store of food and water.

カリブ海の島国ハイチの地震被害について、国連の潘事務局長は、被災地への援助を国際社会に訴えた。各国が全力で援助に努めるべきだ。

現地は食糧、水、医薬品、医師が不足している。世界銀行と米国は各1億ドルの緊急支援を発表、日本は3000万円相当の緊急援助物資と上限500万ドルの無償資金協力を実施する。米、中、仏、アイスランドなどの救援隊が現地入りした。

首都ポルトープランスでは建物崩壊で、がれきに埋もれた人が多数いる。水道や電気が途絶え、病院が倒壊、遺体が街に放置され衛生状態や治安の悪化が危ぶまれる。

15年前の阪神大震災の日に近く、災害発生の可能性は常にあることを再認識させる。地震国日本では国と地方が防災に努め、国民も家具の固定や食糧・水の確保などの対策をとるべきだ。