As you know, there are some 1300 tent cities and they vary significantly in levels of organization, order and construction. Some tents are made of sticks and clothe others actual tents and some resemble makeshift transitional housing made of tin and cardboard. Some camps have been located in strategic locations; across from the National Palace, by the airport, next to the UN, below President Preval’s private house and many of the names of these camps pay homage to national and international leaders. Camp Toussaint, Obama, Simon Bolivar and the like. I visited one camp, Champ de Mars, it is sprawling. Champ de Mars has beautiful monuments of Haiti’s founding fathers and used to be a series of well manicured lawns. It is akin to the States National Mall in Washington, DC. It was surreal for me to see it completely covered with tents. The entire public space, much like every other public space in the city was covered by tarps.
Champ de Mars was bustling with activity; mother’s washing their children on the sidewalks, clothes lines hanging, TVs and speakers blaring and merchants selling their wares and food. The mood was not somber; it very much screamed out “life goes on”.
There is no doubt that the living conditions are tenuous and that the 1.2 million people living in tents are incredibly vulnerable to flooding and hurricane conditions. Meteorologists expect this to be the most active hurricane season to date, with some 23 tropical storms expected. Simply put, people are in serious danger of losing their lives if the government does not act with a sense of urgency. No tent will withstand harsh winds and rains.
I find the strength and will of the people remarkable despite the hardships; people have resumed their day to day activities despite the fact that the government and other actors have not adjusted or moved as quickly.
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