A year on, Haitians cope with wretched memories
Haitians attend a prayer service near the presidential palace in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
January 12th, 2011
12:49 PM ET

A year on, Haitians cope with wretched memories

They filled the grounds in front of the collapsed cathedral in Haiti's capital Wednesday. To remember. To cope. To pray.

Wednesday marked the first anniversary of the earthquake that changed the face of a nation.

More than 200,000 people perished last January 12 when the earth shook violently for a few seconds. Houses toppled, swallowing residents alive. Government offices and landmark buildings, including the Notre Dame cathedral, came tumbling down.

Five days ago, three more bodies were pulled from the rubble in central Port-au-Prince.

Haitians still come to pray at the cathedral every Sunday. On this day, the crowds overwhelmed the small park in front. People embraced one another and cried openly. There was no reason to hide the sorrow that pervades their lives every day.

In one neighborhood, a man woke up residents as he walked through the streets at dawn. He carried a Bible and recited prayers.

Faith is all that many Haitians have left.

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  1. Real Truth

    "Earthquake survivors like Michel Clervil wonder why, a year on, nothing has changed in Haiti, why he hasn't seen any of the money the world sent."

    I'll tell you why.
    It's because all that money went into the pockets of religious organizations and into the pockets of corrupt government officials instead of going to help the general public in Haiti. Duh.

    They need to quit praying to a made-up god and believing everything these fraudulent organizations tell them.
    It's all about the money.
    And how Haiti is not considered an "economically viable" place to provide real support. Haiti has nothing but corruption in their government, just like many African nations.
    All the money gets taken away long before the people on the ground see a single penny.
    God does not stop these evil things from happening because God does not exist.
    But greed and unethical behavior DOES exist and is stronger than any empty prayer to a non-existent being.
    Welcome to the real world, Haiti.

    January 12, 2011 at 1:09 pm | Report abuse |
  2. Christina

    If they would have just accepted Christianty while we were offering it, God would have spared their village. This is the best example of what happens when you do not believe in His word. I pray that they will see the light and accept him to help rebuild their lives and start on a cleansed slate.

    January 12, 2011 at 1:12 pm | Report abuse |
    • termlimits

      WOW! You and "Barbara K" got it bad. I always say you should believe in something.

      January 12, 2011 at 1:52 pm | Report abuse |
    • ROFL!

      LOL! What an idiot!

      January 12, 2011 at 6:02 pm | Report abuse |
    • GS

      Christina-the Bible teaches the "rain falls on the just and the unjust". So, how do you explain tragedies that happen to believers then? Pray for the victims and their families, don't blame as you just don't know why this happened.

      January 12, 2011 at 6:31 pm | Report abuse |
  3. ori

    There Is So Much To Be Said About The People Of Hati To Make It Thru A Earth Quake That Took So Many Lives Then The Ecoli Problem People Laugh And Joke About Things Those Are Humans And The Lord Loves Them Just Like He Loves Everyone Else Pray For Them Because We Ourselves Need Much Prayer There Are Some Trouble Some Things Coming Our Way Look Toward The White House At The Racist Republicans They Don,t Care About Nobody But The Rich.

    January 12, 2011 at 1:20 pm | Report abuse |
  4. Barbara K

    You can either give everything to God, or He will come and take everything away on His own. Either way you must give glory to God in the highest and worship him, or else end up like a rebellious terrorist hate-driven country like Haiti.

    January 12, 2011 at 1:41 pm | Report abuse |
    • u r clueless

      You can't give everything to God because there's nobody there no matter how hard you try to believe.
      You can't give glory to something that doesn't exist and no one can really define "glory" anyway.
      I live in the "rebellious terrorist hate-driven country" of the USA. Thx.
      I can refute any religious nonsense without breaking a sweat.
      Your fake faith cannot do a single thing for anyone beyond lying to people and brainwashing them.
      Get a clue.

      January 12, 2011 at 2:03 pm | Report abuse |
  5. Steeven R Carly Bernadin

    I'm Steeven from Haiti. I want to thank you all around the world for your help. Specially USA and its Organisations like the USAid. Dont ever think Haiti is under a punishing. That was a natural phenomen. Any country could live it. So just thank The Lord because it wasn't your turn. Haiti cant be like that. That country is so near of USA(The Power of the World). By the way, be One! The poor people(Haiti) needs your Help. One Love! One Heart.

    January 12, 2011 at 2:16 pm | Report abuse |
    • BEAUTIFUL BLACK

      Steeven R Carly Bernadin: Keep your faith in God and dont let anyone take it away from you. Your country's faith is whats keeping your people together. Its so funny that people are so focused on what u guys dont have and less focused on what yall have... LIFE! Keep giving God the praise and he will see you guys through. God Bless u all

      January 12, 2011 at 3:18 pm | Report abuse |
  6. ori

    And Just Because People Don,t Beleive In God Don@t Mean There Aint One You Got To Repent Know That You Have Sinned Whether Its A Lie Or Slept With Somebody Wife You Sinned Sinner God Loves You And So Do I.

    January 12, 2011 at 5:15 pm | Report abuse |
  7. what

    Nothin but religious nut jobs posting.check out mnsbc haiti special and it showed the gov stop aid so the companies could pay tarrif on the building goods

    January 13, 2011 at 7:03 am | Report abuse |
  8. what

    Haitians should blame theirgreedy,corrupted gov for halting rebuilding,food and aid to reap the riches.all african nation are the same.poor people

    January 13, 2011 at 7:06 am | Report abuse |
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