Aftershock

Haiti is an island of juxtapositions: The immense natural beauty contrasted by mountains of trash in the slums of Port-Au-Prince, generosity amidst inextricable poverty, and unbelievable kindness alongside unfathomable desperation and violence. These polarities always exist but are intensified and palpable during times of emergency, like the 2021 earthquake. Despite having every reason to lose faith, Haitians celebrated life in the remnants of their fractured lives. “Where there is life, there is hope,” said Chrislome Addonia, a survivor who lost his three-year-old daughter in the earthquake.

The stench of burning flesh and rubber, the haunting cries of “Mama, mama” from a mourning son, and the beautiful chorus of women singing in worship characterize this two-week project documenting the aftermath of the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck Haiti on August 14, 2021. The quake killed 2,200 residents, caused 13,000 injuries, and destroyed 137,500 buildings, making it the deadliest natural disaster in 2021.

Among the most impacted areas were small, rural towns where foreign aid struggled to snake its way along the winding roads of makeshift barricades, gang territories, and damaged roads. This project seeks to capture the complex duality of Haiti and highlight the beautiful resilience of Haitians amidst tragic circumstances along the road from Les Cayes to the small town of Maniche.

On August 14, 2021, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Haiti killing 2,200 residents, causing 13,000 injuries, and destroying 137,500 buildings, making it the deadliest natural disaster in 2021.

A young girl’s parents try to keep her calm as her legs and hips are casted.

After hours of waiting in line, the tired and hot Haitians rush the last trucks of aid reaching out as workers offload the final items.

Marie’s son dangles his feet in the grave where his mother is soon to be buried.

The body of an alleged gang member is burned after he was stoned for robbing people of aid along the road to Maniche. Kidnapping and armed robbery of foreign aid is common and one of the biggest deterrents for foreign actors looking to distribute aid.

A younger family member of Marie wails in mourning inside the house where Marie was killed.

A man tries to flag down a helicopter in hopes it is carrying aid. Analysts have called Haiti an “aid state” - relying heavily on the support of foreign funding to stay afloat. Haitian activists believe this has had mixed impact on the country, providing necessary relief but also relieving the government of their responsibility to use those funds for critical reforms needed to rebuild the nation.

A member of the American Airforce looks out the open door of a Chinook as they fly over Port-AuPrince en route to distribute aid to rural areas impacted by the earthquake.The US gave over $5 billion in aid to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. In 2021, US pledged $32 million in relief.

Family photos covered in debris lay in the rubble of a family home destroyed by the earthquake.

Marie’s casket is carried to the back of the house to be buried. As the casket marches away, family members are restrained as they wail and collapse to the ground in mourning.

A shy young girl plays with a rosary in the rubble of her neighbor’s home.

Marie-Anne and her neighbor sit in the rubble of her home following the earthquake in August 2021.

A man salvages a mattress from a family home destroyed by the earthquake.

Framed by the ruins of their former home, Pierre Hubert stands in front of the small shed where he and his seven children live after their home was destroyed by the earthquake.

A Haitian looks distraught after digging through rubble in search of injured people or salvageable goods. With slow moving and understaffed relief efforts, locals bore the brunt of the responsibility over the search and rescue.

Funeral director opens the casket so that loved ones can say their goodbyes to Marie Herese Atineus.

One week after the earthquake, a woman prays during a busy church service held beside the rubble of the community’s shattered church building.

Haitians line up for an aid distribution set to help 5,000 people in Maniche.

A funeral procession makes its way down a block of destroyed homes in Maniche. Small, rural towns, like Maniche, were among the most affected areas, out of reach of the foreign aid that struggled to snake its way along the winding roads of makeshift barricades, gang kidnappings, and damaged roads.

Altema Rosenine cuddles her injured 11 month old, Ande, underneath a tent set up in the rubble of their collapsed home. They found Ande 6 hours after the earthquake underneath the corpse his uncle, which had insulated him from the falling debris. Despite this miracle, the family’s three year old daughter, Oarah, was killed in the earthquake.

Another family, empathizing with their loss, gave them the tent after a fight had broken out that day over the distribution of temporary shelters.

Despite their immense loss, the family was patient and kind. When asked how he has kept going, Chrislome, the father, told us, “Where there is life, there is hope.”

A young girl, dressed for the funeral of Marie Herese Atineus, stands in front of the collapsed home where Marie was killed by falling debris during the August earthquake.

Haitians wrestle over a container of sanitation resources towards the end of aid distribution.

A young boy in an oversized suit walks home through dense forest after the funeral.

Haitan firefighters use a log to cross through a stream in a rural area where they heard bodies were buried under debris from the earthquake.

A man receives care at the overcrowded, underfunded hospital.

A firefighter uses an axe to dislodge a telephone wire knocked down after the implosion of damaged a church building.