Emergency aid is important. But, Americans can make the task of recovery in Haiti easier and faster if we consider long-term requirements and start planning now how to help Haitians rebuild their own country. After the first wave of emergency relief passes, we will need to wean the country from hand-outs and, instead, find innovative ways to engage Haitians in the restoration effort. We need to reach out to local Haitian businesses and entrepreneurs (and there are some local businesses already trying to help) to take an active and, ultimately, leadership role in recovery efforts that will likely last a decade.
The similarities between recent events in Haiti and the painful lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina in my own home town of New Orleans, are easily recognizable. Our goal should be to make sure Haiti doesn’t become another Katrina. One of the main reasons why the cost of rebuilding after Katrina is tens of billions of dollars and still growing, is a direct result of the government’s reliance on external sources, rather than including local businesses, in the initial efforts.
During Katrina recovery, reliance on external support led to economic downturn, migration out of the area and a tardiness in restoration of services. Whether in New Orleans or in Haiti, people need to get back to work as quickly as possible. It’s not easy to reboot an economy. Especially in Haiti. The earlier we reach out to the country’s entrepreneurs and small business people, the sooner the economic reboot can happen.