By C. Nicole Mason, PhD

The earthquakes that rocked Haiti have brought many things into focus. Chief among them are Haiti’s extremely fragile infrastructure and the complex relationship between Haiti, the U.S. and other industrialized nations.

Last week about a thousand Haitians descended on the U.S. Embassy requesting visas and were rejected. Busloads of orphaned children have also been turned away, told to come back later by officials. Overburdened vehicles now carry marooned millions to the outskirts of the metropolis. Relief planes deliver supplies, but fall short of the pressing and enormous needs of the people.

The President of Senegal has offered his country as refuge. The U.S. has stated that undocumented Haitians here will be granted temporary visas while also warning that boats attempting to reach American shores will be rerouted to Guantanamo Bay and refugees detained.

As we come to grips with the true magnitude of the disaster that continues to unfold in Haiti, ideas about what should happen to the tiny island and its citizens will continue to be batted around. As of late, three seemingly plausible options have emerged: Option one; migrate to Senegal, option two; allow refugees to come to the U.S. and option three; rebuild Haiti.

Back to the Motherland

Back to Africa would be more than just a notion for Haitians who choose to migrate to Africa. President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, has promised parcels of land to Haitians who migrate to the country known for its ambitious economic recovery plans that have never seemed to take flight, with over one-third of its population living below the international poverty line of $1.25 per day.

While a noble and generous effort, it is not quite realistic. In many ways, Senegal sans the natural disasters is in the same boat as Haiti in terms of its infrastructure and economy. In fact, the country is ranked lower than Haiti on the Human Development Index, an international measure used to measure the well-being of countries. Senegal stands at 166 compared to Haiti’s rating149.

Before the earthquake, Haiti was plagued with extreme levels of poverty, illiteracy and infant mortality rates, and alarming rates of HIV/AIDS infections. All of these economic and health problems would be transferred and even exacerbated in Senegal. And it is highly doubtful that Senegal has the resources and infrastructure to handle the influx in addition to the problems its own population is facing.

Lastly, it also might prove difficult to blend Senegalese and Haitian culture in a way that makes Haitians feel like they can call Senegal home. Culturally, Haiti is closer to Cuba and its neighboring Caribbean brethren than to Senegal. From the cuisine—a French-Caribbean hybrid; to its language, Creole; to its dominant religion, Roman Catholicism—Haiti is as far apart from Senegal as China to Japan.

By Boat, Ferry, or Plane to the United States

The United States has, for the most part , spearheaded recovery efforts in Haiti. In addition to economic resources that continue to pour in from the government and private citizens, Haitian-Americans and others have rushed to provide security and services to survivors of the quakes. Despite aid and support, the U.S. has stopped short of opening its shores to Haitians seeking refuge within its borders.

The feeling is that the U.S. cannot handle an influx of new citizens given its own economic crisis and high levels of unemployment. Last year, a little more than 1 million people became legal residents of the U.S., many of them with family ties in the U.S. To allow even a small chunk of the nearly 9 million Haitian citizens residency status would burden an already chaotic and broken immigration system and strain economic recovery efforts. A middle of the road option might be to allow citizens with families living in the U.S. to temporarily join them.

Reconstruir Haiti!

Earthquakes, wildfires, floods and hurricanes plague countries and continents the world over. The problem with rebuilding Haiti is not so much that natural disasters continue to befall the island, but that it lacks the infrastructure to prepare or recover from such disasters. On its own, it does not possess the financial or human resources to rebuild. Years of debt, political corruptness, and economic cleavages that allow wealth and influence to be concentrated within the hands of the top one percent of the country have prevented Haiti’s economy from thriving.

Despite the above history and the fact that another hurricane or earthquake is likely to occur within months or years, rebuilding Haiti is the only real viable option. To encourage nearly 10 million people to relocate to neighboring islands or welcoming continents is unrealistic. Even if only half of the population relocated, there would still be a problem of rebuilding and accommodating those who remain—arguably they would be the most vulnerable—as is the case in post-Katrina New Orleans, Louisiana.

The eyes of the world are on Haiti. As such, it has an unprecedented opportunity to invite help and secure commitments from its supporters to rebuild the country in a way that will be sustainable over the long term. It will take a while to rebuild and strengthen Haiti’s infrastructure.

In considering solutions, it may help to look at other large-scale disasters. December 26 marked the five-year anniversary of the Indonesian tsunami, a tragedy which took 250,000 lives and resulted in $10 billion in damages. Recovery efforts in that region have been slow and steady—with some countries rebounding faster than others. The same will hold true for Haiti.

Rebuilding will take time and the support of the global community, but it is the only real option. On the road to recovery, the country should also address some of the economic disparities that existed before the earthquakes and that still remain as a part of its cultural fabric.

Dr. C. Nicole Mason is the Executive Director of the Women of Color Policy Network at the Wagner School of Public Service at New York University.