Washington, DC -- Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) issued the following statement on the second anniversary of the massive earthquake which shook Haiti, leveling a substantial amount of the country and leaving thousands of people injured or dead. 

“The people of Haiti have been through so much in their history - hurricanes, extreme political upheaval, decades of widespread poverty, and the 2010 earthquake and its aftermath.  The Haitian people are strong and resilient, but this earthquake left over 300,000 dead, hundreds of thousands more injured, and tens of thousands of homes reduced to rubble.  I visited Haiti shortly after the tragedy, and the situation was more horrible than anything I could have imagined.  There were thousands of souls in the streets wandering – nothing to do, nowhere to go, everything lost.  

“Today, things are better, but still have a long way to go before life is normal again for the Haitian people.  Almost two-thirds of the almost 1.5 million people living in tents have left the camps for improved shelters or new homes.  More than half of the 10 million cubic meters of rubble have been cleared away.  Everyday life for its citizens and government has begun to return to normal.  Schools have re-opened their doors for Haitian children.  Outbreaks of cholera are largely contained. 

“But things are far from perfect.  Only half of the aid promised in the last two years has been received and spent.  The world was there to help in 2010, and it needs to stay focused on the long recovery still ongoing in Haiti.  Haiti’s fledgling government needs to step up and take on more responsibility, and countries which have pledged assistance must contribute the full amount they have promised without delay. 

“As then-Chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, I urged robust and expedited aid and held several hearings to oversee U.S. and international assistance.  I urged President Obama to grant temporary protected status to undocumented Haitians in the United States – many in my district in Spring Valley, New York, located in the Town of Ramapo – and he did. 

“However, now is not the time to let up.  We must continue to help our neighbor to the south as they work their way out of this disaster.  It is a moral imperative and the right thing for us to do.”

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