海地震后两年 重建工作仍进展缓慢(1/2)

January 12th marked the second anniversary of a catastrophic earthquake in Haiti, that the United Nations characterized as the largest urban disaster in modern history. The earthquake, which registered 7.0 on the Richter scale, was centered just 25 kilometers from Port-au-Prince, the country's capital and largest city. Some 3 million people were directly affected by the disaster. The government of Haiti estimates that at least 300,000 people died while about 1.5 million people were displaced to 1,300 settlement sites throughout the Port-au-Prince area. The catastrophe galvanized the global community to immediate action. Countries sent funds and pledged more. They shipped humanitarian aid, dispatched rescue and medical teams, engineers and building specialists, and support personnel of every stripe. At first, grief, despair and confusion reigned, but gradually, the people and government of Haiti, supported by teams of specialists from dozens of nations, began to build housing for the displaced, and to repair or build from scratch demolished hospitals, roads, ports, communications systems, a water and sanitation system, and other essential infrastructure.