Haiti Hurricane History: Country 'Most Prone To Natural Disaster' In West Devasted By Matthew

With Hurricane Matthew wreaking havoc in the Bahamas, Haitians once again find themselves at the mercy of Mother Nature. According to the latest BBC report, at least 35 fatalities have been recorded in Haiti because of the hurricane. Roads, bridges, houses and even entire towns are being completely destroyed in the matter of hours.

Unfortunately for Haiti, these terrifying events are nothing new. The just over 10,000 square mile nation has been plagued with natural disasters for decades. As a matter of fact, Haiti’s natural disaster epidemic is so frequent, it makes them the unluckiest country in the entire western hemisphere.

Of the top 10 countries that are the “most prone to natural disaster,” eight (Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Eritrea and Chad) are located in Africa, one (Afghanistan) is located in Asia and just one is located in the western hemisphere. That one unlucky nation on the west is of course the small country of Haiti.

In just the 21^st century alone Haiti has experienced massive flooding, super storms, hurricanes, earthquakes and even wide spread diseases that have claimed the lives of countless innocent people.

In 2004, Haitians had to deal with hurricanes and flooding that claimed the lives of more than 5,000 people. This was mostly due to Hurricane Jeanne. In the summer of 2006, violent storms killed more than 800 people and caused more than $8 billion in damage. Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere so when a natural disaster hits them, the aftermath and cleanup process is far worse than most countries. Haiti has just two fire stations. For perspective, the New York City Fire Department has more than 200 stations.

In 2010, the biggest earthquake in Haitian history hit the capital city of Port-au-Prince. While an exact death toll could not be measured, at least 100,000 lives were lost. To make matters worse, Haiti even had to deal with a cholera outbreak that very same year.

Although the Dominican Republic shares an island with Haiti, it does not share an equal number of tribulations and misfortunes. Earthquakes and other natural disasters are smaller in the Dominican Republic, as well as less frequent, making Haiti the unluckiest country in the western hemisphere.