Haiti After the Earthquake: Statistics Without Borders
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Haiti after the earthquake Statistics Without Borders When a major disaster strikes, urgent needs may be food, water, shelter, medicines – and data. Unless you know the numbers of people involved and how their lives have been affected, giving efficient help is impossible. Statistics Without Borders tries to provide the data. The team that worked on a project in Haiti describe one effort. At approximately 5:00 p.m. on January 12th, Dozens of aftershocks of magnitude 4.5 Mw or • The government of Haiti estimated that 2010, the Caribbean Plate of the Enriquillo–Plan- greater occurred in the ensuing weeks, compli- 60% of the nation’s government, admin- tain Garden fault system moved eastward relative cating initial relief efforts and adding to the istrative, and economic infrastructure was to the North American Plate, resulting in a mag- suffering. destroyed. nitude 7.0 Mw earthquake on the eastern side of Hispaniola, the seismically active Caribbean This occurred in the aftermath of a series of se- island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Repub- The immediate aftermath of the vere hurricanes that hit Haiti in 2008, resulting lic. The epicentre of this earthquake, 18.457°N, earthquake in the deaths of almost 800 people and the de- 72.533°W, near the town of Léogâne, which is struction of approximately 60% of the country’s approximately 25 kilometres southwest of the What were the immediate ramifications when a harvest. Haitian capital and population centre Port- horrific natural disaster struck an area densely au-Prince, could not have occurred in a worse populated by people who were among the least location in Haiti. Over one third (approximately well equipped economically to deal effectively The need for data 2.5 million of approximately 7.2 million) of the with or recover from the resulting calamity? The population of Haiti lived in Port-au-Prince when United Nations Office of the Special Envoy for Each of these estimates is based on data. In the this earthquake struck, and almost half of the Haiti reports that: aftermath of any natural disaster, rapid and reli- country’s population experienced what is consid- able estimation of the extent of injuries, damage ered strong to extreme shaking. Compounding • an estimated 222 000 people (over 3% of to homes, and displacement of people as well as the difficulties created by this dense population the population) have died and an esti- the nature of the displacements (temporary or was the extreme poverty of the nation’s inhabit- mated 300 000 (over 4% of the population) permanent, current living conditions of the dis- ants. According to the Disasters Emergency Com- were injured. (Imagine the ramifications of placed, etc.) is critical. Even under such extreme mittee, before the earthquake: almost 7.5% of the population of any na- and harsh conditions (or perhaps I should say tion dying or being injured – even the best more accurately especially under such extreme prepared and wealthiest of nations would and harsh conditions), data must be collected to struggle mightily to recover.) inform decision-makers and increase the likeli- • 1.5 million people under 18 years old were hood that relief efforts are targeted in the most Disasters bring chaos. affected by the earthquake; approximately useful and helpful manner possible. Misdirected Helping involves finding out half of these were between 6 and 12 years or inappropriate aid helps no one; targeted aid, old. based on knowledge of the needs, helps most. what people need • The Haitian Ministry of Education esti- And this is how and where Statistics Without mates that 23% of all schools in Haiti (ap- Borders (SWB) enters the story. proximately 5000 schools) were affected by SWB (http://community.amstat.org/ the earthquake, and 80% of these schools statisticswithoutborders/home/) is an (almost 4000) were closed as a result of outreach group of the American Statistical As- • Haiti ranked 145th of 169 countries in earthquake damage. Again, imagine how sociation. It consists entirely of volunteers. It the UN Human Development Index (the any nation could deal with the abrupt loss provides pro bono (free!) consulting to organi- lowest rank of any nation in the Western of over 18% of its schools. sations and government agencies (particularly Hemisphere). • Estimated total damages and losses result- from developing nations) that do not have the • Over 70% of the population of Haiti was ing from the earthquake exceeded 120% of resources for statistical services and are working living on less than $2.00 per day. Haiti’s 2009 gross domestic product. on not-for-profit projects. In support of non-par- • 86% of the population of Port-au-Prince • Almost 50% of the nation’s population tisan and secular activities, SWB promotes the lived in deplorable conditions (in poorly could not live in their homes at the peak of use of statistics to improve the health and well- constructed concrete buildings), 50% had displacement, and the Haitian government being of all people. The organisation’s vision is no access to latrines, and 67% had no ac- estimated that over 100 000 houses were to achieve and implement the best statistical cess to tap water. completely destroyed. practice in the service of others. © 2013 The Royal Statistical Society april2013 29 Destroyed houses in the centre of Port au Prince after the 2010 earthquake. © iStockphoto.com/Claudia Dewald SWB was established late in 2008 by Gary • to work with Haitian authorities and rep- had occurred overnight. Two calls per day were Shapiro of Westat, 2005 ASA President Fritz resentatives of other relief organisations necessary because the situation in Haiti was Scheuren, ASA Director of Science Policy Steve in Haiti to assess the situation and the extremely fluid and circumstances were still Pierson, and James J. Cochran of Louisiana Tech potential difficulties of data collection; changing rapidly. University. Initially SWB projects were pro bono • to coordinate with the SWB Project Direc- The Project Director would use the informa- projects that had been undertaken by the found- tor and other SWB volunteers on the design tion gathered by the SWB team on the ground ers prior to the establishment of the organisa- of a questionnaire and the plan for execut- in Haiti to revise SWB’s strategy and confer with tion. However, SWB’s membership grew quickly, ing the study; other SWB volunteers who were working on the and in late 2009 the organisation began focusing • to assist with cognitive testing, field test- project remotely. The team in Haiti had access to on finding partner organisations with projects to ing, and focus group testing of the draft cell phone signals and email at a small café in the which SWB volunteers could contribute. questionnaire; hotel where they stayed (SWB checked on this In late January 2010, soon after the earth- • to assist with translation and back-transla- well in advance of the trip), so documents such quake, Jean Orelien, a native Haitian and the tion of the questionnaire and development as drafts of the survey and instructions for the President of SciMetrika (a firm that focuses on of instructions for data collectors and their survey takers (as well as back-translations) could providing solutions to advancing human health), supervisors; be sent back and forth. Finally, Orelien identi- was directing an effort to collect data in Haiti to • to assist with a pilot test; fied two local professors in Haiti with graduate aid in the assessment of post-earthquake con- • to advise on revisions to the questionnaire training in statistics and demography, Robert ditions. Orelien contacted Sastry Pantula, who and data collection plan based on what Philippe and Wesner Antoine, who immediately was current ASA President, and was referred to was learned from the pilot test. became integral members of the team. They SWB. He asked the organization for help with the proved invaluable in the study design phase, de- design and execution of a survey in Haiti. Ore- The team needed time to get the necessary vac- velopment of the questionnaire, recruiting of the lien planned to use the data collected to assess cinations and make other arrangements. It flew interviewers and overseeing the data collection. the impact of the quake. Three SWB members into Port-au-Prince on March 12th and returned Having the participation of local researchers and (Jim Ashley, Justin Fisher, and Scheuren) were on March 19th. While in Haiti, the team would students served two purposes: their knowledge selected from several SWB members who quickly telephone a US-based SWB member every even- of the country and culture was instrumental in volunteered to go to Haiti. ing to give a progress report, and again every developing the questionnaire and at the same The group identified six purposes for trip: morning to provide updates on changes that led to institutionalizing the knowhow locally on 30 april2013 how to conduct a similar study. As an example of Data could be collected conveniently from requests. This was an added incidental benefit to how their local knowledge contributed, for the respondents throughout the country. The cost the SWB survey – it provided a humanitarian ser- question on marital status they told us that we of collecting data would be relatively low. The vice by getting information on available sources should include a category called “placeage” for time required to collect data would be greatly of aid to the survey respondents. those who were living together in a committed reduced. The safety of the data collectors would While the means for administering the survey relationship like spouses but were not married. not be at risk. Data collection from a centralised were being determined, the initial draft of the location would be possible, reducing the risk of questionnaire (which now reflected the objective lost data and enabling a much higher degree of of assessing the economic impact of the earth- Execution of the Project quality control in administering the ultimate quake) was under development, as was a manual questionnaire.