Tent cities.

In addition to the huge loss of life due to the earthquake, people have also lost their homes. Many homes have collapsed. Some homes are standing but the structure is damaged. And some homes might even be safe to live in, but people are too afraid to sleep indoors. As a result, people have been forced to find shelter elsewhere.

Many Haitians moved to other parts of the country if they were able, but thousands remain in and around Port-au-Prince. Those that have stayed have created tent camps. Some camps are big (thousands of people), some camps are small (hundreds of people) but you see them everywhere.


All the tents are strategically placed so that should another earthquake hit, nothing will fall on them. This is important - at least in their tent, they feel safe.


The majority of the tents are made of sticks and sheets, and some of them are covered with tarps. Real tents are making their way into Haiti, but the need is far far greater than the supply.

The make-shift tents, even if tarped, are not exactly waterproof, and that means that rain gets everything wet. The tents are also extremely close together and many people share each one.


As you can imagine, hygiene and sanitation in the camps is and will continue to be an issue (and a bigger and bigger issue as time passes, especially during the rainy season). The first big rainfall happened on Friday, March 19 - check out the story here. Sounds awful (and that seems like an understatement). A fresh water supply is being provided in some of the bigger camps via water bladders from Oxfam.


A couple questions often come up when I tell people about the tents. While I can't give definitive answers, I can tell you my thoughts...

Why are so many people tenting in the city? Why don't people just leave Port-au-Prince?
It's their home... Their life is there, their friends and family are there, their family members and friends are buried there. There is no guarantee that life would be better elsewhere. And many of them have hope for the future - for the rebuilding of the city, for the rebuilding of Haiti. The buildings may have fallen down, but the people have not given up hope...

Where are the real tents? I/we've given money...
Good question! I can only hope they are coming...that somewhere in the world, people are frantically making tents (if tent supply is really the issue) and they are being shipped to Haiti as fast as possible. There are a few camps that have been supplied with real tents, so I can see that it is achievable... Hopefully media coverage of the rainy season will pressure governments to get moving on this.

Next up...medical clinic stories! Thanks for reading!