Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoUnifeed
HAITI / BUSINESS REOPENS
STORY: HAITI / BUSINESS REOPENS
TRT: 2.42
SOURCE: MINUSTAH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: FRENCH / CREOLE / NATS
DATELINE: 23 JANUARY 2010, PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI
1. Pan left, long lines outside the money transfer business (UNITRANSFER) in Port-au-Prince
2. Med shot, lines in front of Unitransfer
3. Pan left, people jostling in the lines
4. SOUNDBITE (French) Chris Soir, Port-au-Prince resident:
"I came here yesterday. I came today at 5am, but I still have not gotten inside to take money my family sent me. There's too much pushing and it makes people fight."
5. Wide shot, traveling shot of lines outside a bank (SOGEBANK) on the first day of opening
6. Close up, Western union sign next to bank
7. Wide shot, exterior of bank
8. Tilt up, men waiting in the sun for the bank
9. Med shot, supermarket sign
10. Wide shot, exterior, supermarket (ROYAL MARKET) in Petion-ville (PAP)
11. Pan right, interior of supermarket, still well stocked
12. Med shot, man dragging a basket on wheels
13. SOUNDBITE (Creole) Moussa Nahar, Supermarket Owner:
"I have enough to last for two months, without having to restock anything."
14. Tilt down, imported goods on shelves
15. Med shot, milk imported from France
16. Med shot, young man stocking the shelves with imported ketchup
17. Wide shot, people checking out their items at the cashier
18. Med shot, cashier
19. Close up, cashier checks a bottle for price
20. Med shot, price register
21. SOUNDBITE (Creole) Moussa Nahar, Supermarket Owner:
"No one will do deliveries. Yesterday, we ordered a truck full of bottled water. On the way, it was attacked by a crowd and everything was stolen."
22. Wide shot, outdoor fruit and vegetable market
23. Med shot, fruits locally grown
24. Pan right, woman picking peas to her to face
25. Close up, green peas
26. SOUNDBITE (Creole) Marie Carmelle Josephe, Fruit Seller:
"All the prices are going up. Because the transport trucks are expensive. So food is more expensive."
27. Pan left, man entering fruit market
28. SOUNDBITE (Creole) Marie Carmelle Josephe, Fruit Seller:
"I don't have any more clients. They all died. All my clients died."
29. Wide shot, woman stacking fruits
30. Pan right, pineapples and limes
31. Wide shot, handwritten sign on the street asking for help
Business in Port-au-Prince is just beginning to get back on its feet after last week’s earthquake devastated Haiti’s capital.
Haitians are desperate for money. Remittances from abroad are the chief source of income totaling $1.5 billion a year. More than 80 percent of the people here survive on less than $2 a day.
And eleven days with businesses closed following this massive earthquake has left people clamouring for cash.
SOUNDBITE (French) Chris Soir, Port-au-Prince resident:
"I came here yesterday. I came today at 5am, but I still have not gotten inside to take money my family sent me. There's too much pushing and it makes people fight."
Some banks opened today, but the lines were endless.
Supermarkets throughout the capital were slowly opening up. Some were destroyed, but others left unscathed.
At the Royal Market in Petion-ville, this store owner still has a two month supply of goods.
SOUNDBITE (Creole) Moussa Nahar, Supermarket Owner:
"I have enough to last for two months, without having to restock anything."
Most of the food in supermarkets is imported, and with the port nearly destroyed, and the south pier reserved for humanitarian aid, it is unsure when imports will be able to come back in the country.
And with heavy looting, businesses with warehouses are unwilling to make deliveries to supermarkets and stores.
SOUNDBITE (Creole) Moussa Nahar, Supermarket Owner:
"No one will do deliveries. Yesterday, we ordered a truck full of bottled water. On the way, it was attacked by a crowd and everything was stolen."
Supply and demand has prices skyrocketing. For locally grown food, it could be a boost to the agriculture economy. As imports become harder to receive, people could depend more on local produce.
SOUNDBITE (Creole) Marie Carmelle Josephe, Fruit Seller:
"All the prices are going up. Because the transport trucks are expensive. So food is more expensive."
What’s worse, gas is now (USD) $10 a gallon, which could mean even local produce will see severe price hikes.
And as Marie Carmelle a local fruit seller said, not only do people have less cash, but there are also fewer people.
SOUNDBITE (Creole) Marie Carmelle Josephe, Fruit Seller:
"I don't have any more clients. They all died. All my clients died."
The Haitian government said the 7.0-magnitude quake killed an estimated 200,000 people. Thousands are leaving the capital for the province.
Download
There is no media available to download.
