Successes and challenges of the Haiti earthquake response

Immediately after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, the international community commenced an unprecedented relief effort for what was the worst recorded natural disaster in the Western Hemisphere. The U.S. Agency for International Development (“USAID”) led the American response to the emergency, coordinating the efforts of multiple U.S. Government (“USG”) agencies and laying the groundwork for reconstruction and long-term development. The USG was part of a larger international response, which saw as many as 129 countries send personnel and supplies2 and the United Nations (“UN”) provide robust leadership. As was immediately apparent to those engaged in the response, post-earthquake Haiti was a complicated working environment, requiring innovative approaches in both coordination and response mechanisms.