Haiti remembers earthquake, 222,000 victims

Port-au-PRINCE - Life stood still for 47 seconds in Haiti Wednesday as a moment of silence fell over the disaster-ravaged Caribbean country.

The commemoration was dedicated to the 222,000 people who died in the magnitude-7 quake, which struck at 4:53 p.m. (2153 GMT) Jan 12, 2010. The whole country ground to a halt at that moment Wednesday with white balloons let off in areas devastated by the quake.

After the pause, the sounds of music and dance spread across many parts of the still-destroyed capital, Port-au-Prince, in a “Celebration of Life” urged by the Haiti government.

A major focus of the commemoration was in Titanyen outside Port-au-Prince, where an estimated 100,000 of the dead were hastily dumped in the days after the horrific tremor. Titanyen has since become the burial place for many of the 3,650 people who have succumbed to cholera since an outbreak that started in October.

A memorial service in the ruins of Port-au-Prince’s cathedral launched Wednesday’s ceremonies. Thousands, many of them dressed in white, gathered in the early morning for Mass at the site of the cathedral, which was destroyed in the quake. Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot was among the dead.

All archbishops and bishops in Haiti conducted Mass together, and the service was attended by Haitian presidential candidate Mirlande Manigat and Haitian-American musician Wyclef Jean.

Former US president Bill Clinton, who is leading the international donation efforts, said it was imperative that all countries meet their aid pledges. In 2010, only 60 percent of the pledged amounts were collected.

The cost of the 10-year effort to rebuild Haiti was estimated at more than $10 billion.

In a departure from past tradition, a television broadcast showed a ceremony of the voodoo cult led by high priest Max Beauvoir.

Haitians and members of international aid organisations marked the anniversary in other cities and towns.

Edmond Mulet, commander of the UN Mission for the Stabilisatioon of Haiti, highlighted the UN’s support for Haiti in rebuilding.

“In the memory of hundreds of thousands of missing persons, of injured, of handicapped, of displaced people, the special representative of the United Nations secretary general for Haiti is keen to express to the Haitian people that the United Nations are and will remain with them,” Mulet said.

The quake was “the greatest tragedy that the country and the UN have ever known,” Mulet said.

He recalled that Haiti lost not only hundreds of thousands of civilians but also thousands of government officials and a huge portion of its infrastructure in the quake. The UN mission itself, he pointed out, lost 102 people and was left “beheaded,” Mulet said.

The anniversary was observed far beyond Haiti’s shores.

In New York, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon voiced “solidarity with the people of Haiti and all those who suffered tragic losses a year ago.”

“We honour those who left us and carry on their work,” Ban said through a spokesman.

“In the memory of our fallen comrades, let’s pledge to realize their dreams of a better Haiti,” he said.

In Washington, the Organisation of American States paid tribute to the dead.

“On such a sad day, we join with Haiti and all of the international community in mourning for the loss of so many thousands of lives,” its secretary general, Jose Miguel Insulza, said.

He highlighted evident problems in reconstruction efforts.

“The challenges and hurdles are huge, and the lack of coordination persists, but we have to persevere,” Insulza said. “We owe it to all in Haiti and to the memory of those who died.”