On January 12, 2010, Haiti suffered a magnitude 7.0 earthquake. The earthquake resulted in an estimated tens of thousands of deaths, 2 million displaced persons, and almost $8 billion in damage. The large scale of the destruction also severely impacted the Haitian government’s ability to respond to the crisis.

The U.S. Government and International Community’s Response

The international community, including the U.S. government, responded to the earthquake with a massive humanitarian response and significant commitments of assistance for ongoing reconstruction efforts. The international community has pledged over $9 billion to meet Haiti’s reconstruction and development needs over a 10-year period.

The U.S. government alone provided over $1.6 billion in short-term relief aid, and will provide an additional $1.14 billion in supplemental funding for reconstruction aid by the end of September 2012.