Every year Haiti’s rainy season brings a new wave of challenges to Haiti. Here, rain means days spent inside, rain boots, and avoiding getting splashed by cars while walking down the street; in Haiti, the rainy season is far more than a nuisance, it is devastating. The rainy season brings a fresh wave of cholera and other diseases as well as the constant threat of flooding.
Cholera is a water-borne disease. It is spread through fecal matter in the water supply. What this means is that when the streets are flooded, Haitians are far more susceptible to contracting the disease as they are constantly wading through contaminated water. This leads to a rise in the number of cases of cholera and the number of people in clinics. Sadly, this also leads to a rise in the number of children who cannot go to school and the number of adults who can’t work because they are sick. These problems are exacerbated by the fact that many Haitians don’t have access to clean water, which increases the likeliness of contracting cholera from drinking contaminated water. The disease is easy to treat if caught in time, but in order to eradicate cholera in Haiti; work needs to be done to prevent the spread of the illness.
Heavy rain means flooding. During the rainy season, flooding is a constant threat in Haiti. Flooding not only makes any type of commute difficult but also can cause irreparable damage to cars, homes, and agriculture. This is a huge challenge to both education and livelihood. In a country that is still trying to recover, the rainy season can be devastating.Haitians return after attempting to cross the lake and reach Gonaive after the passing of tropical storm Hanna.
