For weeks, online and in the pages of The Globe, this project has offered a unique window into the lives and challenges facing this historic Haitian city as it struggles to recover from January’s devastating earthquake. Reporter Jessica Leeder and photographer Deborah Baic have gotten to know the people and their stories as the efforts there shift from emergency aid to the much bigger challenge of rebuilding.
In the weeks and months ahead, we will tell that continuing story through a cast of characters and their locales, each of which brings something critical to the reconstruction: the power brokers in city hall and beyond who determine what gets done and when; Molver Desire, the shop owner who, like many entrepreneurs, is finding it hard to get back on her feet; artisan Thomas Oriental, struggling to revive his craft and livelihood; Pastor Dieucin Marcelin, whose task it is to restore his damaged Église Baptiste Stricte while tending to the spiritual needs of his flock; the film student, Zaka, trying to realize his dreams despite the devastating death of a close friend and mentor; the efforts to revive the historic La Jacmelienne hotel that played a critical role in the artistic and cultural renaissance of the city before the earthquake; and Midi Jackson, the 30-year-old lawyer and father of six who is trying to bring order to the chaos of one of Jacmel’s tent cities.
Project Jacmel was initially born of a single idea: what, we wondered, happens to a disaster-struck place after the reporters pull up stakes and leave? What of the months and years of hard work that goes into rebuilding a shattered country?
So we decided to stay, and document that process – in words and images – in the pages of The Globe and Mail, but more deeply online, where visitors can experience the sights and sounds, the characters and the unfolding dramas of a city literally rising from the rubble.
Visitors to the site can expect to find fresh material each day – blog entries, new videos, photographs and stories as the drama of the rebuilding effort plays itself out.
And there’s a chance to get involved too, posting comments, sharing stories, pictures and videos. The goal is to create a place where you can connect with the citizens of Jacmel, our writers and each other – a gathering place of sorts for a community we hope will grow as the project evolves. By bearing witness to what happens after most other media organizations leave, we can learn from the successes – and inevitable failings – of such an enormous task.
BY THE NUMBERS
Quantifying the damage and destruction caused by January's earthquake has been an ongoing challenge across the country, including in Jacmel and the surrounding areas. Here's a look at the numbers local and international officials are working with:
148,940:
Population of Jacmel and surrounding feeder communities384:
Dead448:
Wounded11,632:
Families affected15,090:
People internally displaced2,913:
Houses destroyed7,484:
Houses damaged50%-60%:
Damage in Jacmel's infrastructure43:
Schools destroyed13:
Camps for internally displaced6,678:
Tents distributed31,375:
Cover sheets distributed18,501:
Mosquito nets distributed
Sources: United Nations, CROSE, Haiti's Ministry of the Interior and Jacmel Chamber of Commerce
The Globe and Mail's Deborah Baic, left, a visual journalist, and Jessica Leeder, a writer, are in Jacmel to document the rebirth of one of Haiti's most vibrant cities.
