The only road linking Port-au-Prince to the affected area remains plagued by gang violence, derailing some aid deliveries. And the Haitian government, which has promised to centralize and coordinate the relief efforts, has been largely absent from the affected communities. The country is now facing the earthquake without a president, a functioning parliament or a head of the Supreme Court. The new prime minister, Ariel Henry, toured the affected area the day after the earthquake, but he had little to offer the desperate residents apart from words of reassurance. Underlining Haiti’s limited resources, Mr. Henry had to travel on an airplane lent by the air force of neighboring Dominican Republic.

Source: International New York Times August 18, 2021 16:37 UTC