" ... I have heard reports from people on the ground in Port-au-Prince that the rubble remains on the ground from the earthquake, tent cities have grown, residents are making housing inside dilapidated buildings, garbage is piled on the streets and the only buildings being built are of government interest.
My question: Where did the charity funds go to rebuild Haiti for the people of Haiti? ... "
Angela Lewis, Avon Park, Fla.---
" ... It's true: Port-au-Prince looks much like it did in February, other than the fact it's now raining every day. Of some 20 million cubic yards of rubble left by the disaster, less than 2 percent has been cleared. Serious reconstruction has not started.
Meanwhile, more people than ever are living under tarps and in tents: 1.6 million and counting. Some who didn't lose their homes can no longer afford rent or are following foreign aid to the camps. And the tarps are falling apart.
It's easy to look at all this and ask where the money went. The answer isn't so simple. A lot of secondary crises that could have happened didn't, or haven't yet, like disease outbreaks, flooding catastrophes or famine - and some of that can be traced to the aid effort.
And the Haitian government, which was severely compromised in the quake and not so capable before, says the slow pace of reconstruction is important for preventing corruption and planning a sustainable city.
But it's also reasonable to ask why more hasn't improved. Presidential elections and hurricanes are both potentially on the way. Once the distraction of the World Cup is over, we may find out just how much frustration the grinding recovery has left behind. ... "
Jonathan M. Katz, AP Correspondent, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
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