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Letter: Helping Haiti Published on Friday, June 4, 2010 Email To Friend    Print Version Dear Sir: Here are three suggestions on how to help earthquake-stricken Haiti that will yield positive results in the long run: 1. First, consult with leading geologists who specialize in earthquake history. The current earthquake is not the first to hit the country. An earthquake devastated Port-au-Prince, the capital, in 1770, and in 1842 a quake destroyed Cap-Haitien and other cities. However, not all of Haiti, a land of 10,714 square miles, is affected by earthquake fault lines. Based on geologists' recommendations, a coastal area far from fault lines should be selected as a new capital. Development of this new port city could be exciting, and could generate thousands of jobs in Haiti, where jobs are scarce. 2. Second, launch a massive tree-planting program. Haiti was once covered by foliage, but desperately poor Haitians cut down most trees to make charcoal for cooking. Years ago, arid Israel launched a tree-planting effort that yielded positive results, not only in "greening" the country, but also lifting people's sense of patriotism. Such a massive program in Haiti could generate jobs, and improve the environment, perhaps even helping to develop a large farming sector. In the meantime, wealthy nations could donate charcoal, providing a source of fuel. 3. Third, lure private sector manufacturers from all over the world to Haiti by means of tax incentives. Governments could help build free trade zones where apparel and other goods could be made, generating jobs and a skilled labor force. Back in the 1950s-1960s, Puerto Rico's "Operation Bootstrap", by means of tax incentives, attracted hundreds of factories, and helped develop that island from a rural backwater to a modern society. Similar positive results have been achieved in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. Summing up, shifting the capital to an earthquake-free zone, creating a "green" Haiti, and providing incentives for factory jobs could help to convert Haiti into a viable society, no longer dependent upon handouts for the poor. Kal Wagenheim Millburn, NJ The author is editor-publisher of Caribbean Update newsletter, founded in 1985.   Reads : 65 Back... Comments: No comments on this topic yet. Be the first one to submit a comment. Back... Send us your comments!   Send us your comments on this article for publication in our Readers' Forum or as a Letter to the Editor. All fields are required and in the interest of openness and transparency we will no longer accept anonymous submissions. We therefore request that all submissions include a name for publication, regardless of content. We will in special circumstances protect a writer's identity only after we have established good cause for anonymity, otherwise we will not be able to publish the submission. For your contribution to reach us, you must (a) provide a valid e-mail address and (b) click on the validation link that will be sent to the e-mail address you provide.  If the address is not valid or you don't click on the validation link, it will be a waste of your time typing your submission because we will never see it! Your Name: Your Email: (Validation required) Comments: Enter Validation Code *