Read "Haïti, hell on earth ?" Why the outside world must respond !

"Haiti is unusually ill-equipped to cope. That is partly because the earthquake struck the capital, Port-au-Prince, knocking out such institutions as the country possessed. The devastation included the parliament, the cathedral, the only two fire stations, hospitals and schools, the tax office, the prison and the headquarters of the United Nations mission, which had been trying to build a nation out of a failed state (see article). So Haitians are almost entirely dependent on what the outside world can do. The priority in the coming hours must be rescue, medical care and emergency feeding. It helps that the airport is just about open, and that Haiti is close to the United States."