The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, where 80 percent of the population lives in poverty and close to 775 humans are crammed in to every square mile, is also one of the most disaster-prone areas in the world. When the VMs traveled there after a catastrophic 7.0-magnitude quake, they found a disorganized country with a huge national debt and no emergency rescue plans or personnel, much less any ability to save and treat its own citizens or otherwise recover from the disaster. Communication systems, air-land-sea transport facilities, hospitals and electrical networks were down, hampering rescue efforts. VMs worked under horrific conditions that included torrential rains and a series of terrifying aftershocks. More than 300 VMs from 22 countries assisted in taking care of the needs of 600,000 people and training 75,000 Haitians on VM techniques for relieving physical, emotional and mental stress and pain.
