America Sees Earthquake In Haiti As Wakeup Call, Thankful No One Was Hurt

Story by Erik Mellgren 

| Published Jan 26, 2010

The world was stunned on January 12th when an earthquake registering a magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter scale ravaged the nation of Haiti. Even more shocking to Americans was how close this disaster came to actually affecting them. The events in Haiti, an island lying less than 600 miles off the coast of Florida, were much too close for most Americans’ comfort, as tremors were felt within the borders of the United States. Now, uneasy Americans who are worried that something similar might happen in their own neighborhood are looking to their government for answers.

“I want to know what Obama plans to do to keep us safe,” said San Jose, Calif. resident Julie Kimball. “All this earthquake business could have caused a lot of trouble had it hit us here in California. We’re just lucky it didn’t strike where people actually live.”

According to the Dailyer Nebraskan Fear Poll, which asks people from all over the country what frightens them the most, natural disasters assumed the top spot for the two days following the earthquake. By the 14th of January, Terrorism/Spiders had regained its spot atop the poll that it has held since 2001. This momentary increased anxiety towards the wrath of Mother Nature has been eased for most Americans by their belief that no one, or at least no one they knew, had been hurt.

One responder to the poll, Gladdis Farnsworth of Denver, explained the momentary spike, "When the first reports came in, I thought California had fallen into the ocean, I was so worried about those people. Then, I found out that it had happened in some island somewhere, so I flipped back to Jersey Shore."

Some Americans have expressed concern over the effects of the earthquake in Haiti. “I feel really bad about the whole Haiti situation,” said Columbus, Ohio resident Dan Hayworth. “This whole ordeal is going to completely ruin the cruise through the Caribbean I had booked for next week. None of the beach bars are going to be open, it is going to completely blow.”

A few Americans even seemed irritated by the earthquake, “Every time something bad happens to one of those Asian countries, I’m supposed to text them ten bucks. It’s bullshit! Where was Haiti to text me ten bucks when my basement got flooded?” said Lincoln native Dennis Hargrove.

Despite a general apathy towards the suffering of a country that most Americans are hard-pressed to find on a map, some have decided to take up Internet activism to express their support for the beleaguered nation. Facebook groups such as “Haiti for Life,” and “Support Haiti,” have seen membership increase into the thousands in recent days, and have raised more than two dollars to fund relief efforts.

Most Americans have been able to bravely move forward with their lives and put Haiti behind them. “When stuff like that happens, its not easy,” explained Mindy Johnson of Miami, “just a little bit further north and that earthquake could have been a real disaster. Imagine how bad it could have been had it happened here in the U.S. I guess we should just thank God that no one was hurt.”

With the exception of a minor increase in the sales of canned goods, it has been business as usual in the United States since the potential tragedy on January 12th. “I saw during the football games on Sunday that the NFL was doing something to help Haiti,” said Alex Harp of Atlanta, “I figure between them and celebrities, they should take care of cleaning that place up. And anything they miss, Brad and Angelina will probably just adopt. I’m sure it will all work out for the best.”