When a state functions well, it can save hundreds of thousands of lives in a single event. And when it fails, as Haiti is reminding the world yet again these days, the consequences often are dire.
LONDON — On January 12, 2010, Haiti suffered an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale. Estimates of the fatalities range from 100,000 to 316,000. Barely a month and half later, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake hit Chile, leaving 500 dead, 150 of them from the subsequent tsunami. Whereas large swaths of Haiti’s main cities were reduced to rubble, including the National Palace – the president’s official residence – in Port-au-Prince, in Chile very few multi-story buildings collapsed, killing their inhabitants.
LONDON — On January 12, 2010, Haiti suffered an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale. Estimates of the fatalities range from 100,000 to 316,000. Barely a month and half later, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake hit Chile, leaving 500 dead, 150 of them from the subsequent tsunami. Whereas large swaths of Haiti’s main cities were reduced to rubble, including the National Palace – the president’s official residence – in Port-au-Prince, in Chile very few multi-story buildings collapsed, killing their inhabitants.