Associated Press
Posted on August 13, 2010 at 1:30 AM
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A U.S.-based think tank is painting a grim picture of the earthquake recovery effort in Haiti.
The RAND Corp. report released today ticks off a litany of problems, many of which predate the Jan. 12 earthquake. They include unqualified government workers, general lawlessness, and an onerous business climate.
But the director of the RAND International Security and Defense Policy Center says he was shocked by the post-earthquake situation. Former U.S. special envoy to Haiti James Dobbins says while the humanitarian response was “dramatically quick,” the second stage has been too slow. He says “little of the rubble has been cleared, and so few of the basic decisions have been made.”
The report calls removal of rubble “the single most important step toward reconstruction” that the Haitian government and donors can take. It also recommends that donors focus on “state building” rather than rebuilding earthquake damaged structures in the coming years.
People are already fixing quake damaged buildings by simply filling the cracks with cement. They will fall down later.