Nine months after the catastrophic 7.0 earthquake in 2010, when over 230,000 lost their lives, an already badly wounded nation then had to respond to a deadly cholera epidemic, which according to the World Health Organization (WHO), went on to kill another 10,000 people. Then came Hurricane Matthew, which slammed ashore in early October of 2016, setting the beleaguered country back yet again. Many towns on the western end of the country were flattened with over 850 killed and thousands more injured. With power lines down and water pipes broken, the flood water pooled and sewage overflowed. Shortly after the storm passed, the cholera bacteria returned with a vengeance. Within two weeks another 1,000 new cases (WHO) had been reported.
In a nation that struggles constantly with political and social unrest, the resounding shockwaves from each new disaster impose yet more tragedy on a place that seems eternally condemned.