Over the weekend, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake rocked the island nation of Haiti, killing more than 2,100 people, destroying at least 7,000 homes, and leaving 30,000 families homeless.

Infrastructure across the country has been badly damaged or demolished, including churches, schools, and offices.

To add to a worsening situation, Tropical Storm Grace made landfall on the island Monday, triggering floods and mudslides, and making it harder for aid to get to people in need. And the July assassination of President Jovenel Moïse has created a power vacuum for the country, leaving a prime minister but no functioning legislature or head of state.

This quake was twice as powerful than the devastating 7.0 magnitude quake in January 2010, which reportedly killed hundreds of thousands of people.

Haiti has spent the past decade dealing with the economic recovery.  

Haiti is one of the poorest counties in the Western hemisphere and among the poorest in the world. 

The World Bank has warned that Haiti was highly vulnerable to natural disasters “with more than 90 percent of the population at risk.”  This has led to a low quality of life in the country, inequality, corruption, and a stagnant economy.

The 2010 quake had a massive impact on the country’s economy.

Tensions in the country are high. The distribution of food and medical care has been hampered by infrastructure failures.

International aid workers are having trouble reaching hospitals in the worst-hit areas, forcing many to be moved to the capital Port-au-Prince to receive treatment. Poor road conditions and gangs along the routes have also made transferring people a dangerous task.

The Pentagon announced it has formed a joint task force with USAID to help in disaster relief efforts, while the U.N. and the European Union allocated $8 million and $3.5 million respectively in aid to the island.   

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