Jacmel earthquake,
One of the historic buildings in Jacmel, 60 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, that suffered damage from the 2010 earthquake. The streets were clean, but in June of that year, the damage still remained. Photo by Mike Goodman

August 14, 2021, in Les Cayes reminded us of January 12, 2010 in Port-au-Prince. Though 12 years of mobile phone improvements enabled us to see photos of the earthquake from friends immediately, not days later.

The pain and suffering had not changed — it was still untenable. But aspects of the second disaster were handled differently.

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J.O. Haselhoef is the author of “Give & Take: Doing Our Damnedest NOT to be Another Charity in Haiti.” She co-founded "Yonn Ede Lot" (One Helping Another), a nonprofit that partnered with volunteer groups in La Montagne ("Lamontay"), Haiti from 2007-2013. She is a 2022 Fellow for the Columbia School of Journalism's Age Boom Academy. She writes and lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.