Video: Behind the scenes with AC360° in Haiti
Vladimir Duthiers
AC360° Production Assistant
A massive earthquake struck the island of Haiti on January 12, 2010. Less than 24 hours later, I landed in Port-Au-Prince with Anderson Cooper, AC360° Executive Producer Charlie Moore, cameraman Neil Hallsworth, and several other CNN colleagues.
As we drove out of the airport towards the center of town, I remember thinking, “It doesn’t look so bad.” Many of the buildings near the airport seemed to be in good condition; we only saw a few collapsed homes. Less than a mile later, reality hit. We pulled over to the side of the road and saw a child’s body lying on the median. Only a thin sheet afforded this tiny soul some dignity.
Over the course of the next month, CNN reported the full horror of what had happened in Haiti. We also reported on the millions, soon to be billons of dollars in aid that came from people and NGO’s all over the world.
Six months later, we landed in Port-Au-Prince to see how these funds were being used to rebuild Haiti. It soon became clear very little had changed. The streets looked exactly the same – as if the earthquake had struck just hours earlier. Even the Presidential Palace lay in the same crumbled condition.
I let my FlipCam roll as the AC360° team began following the money and reconnecting with survivors we had met back in January. Here’s the backstory of our time there.
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Filed under: Behind The Scenes • Haiti • Vladimir Duthiers |
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Great to see continued interest in Haiti and coverage of their ongoing progress and challenges. The backstories bring great color to the message – great job!
Great behind the scenes. We (viewers) like to see these moments and see how things are done before coming to our homes. Thanks for sharing.
It was a pity that AC360 was only two days in Port au Prince. I think there's much more to be shown.
About Haiti is difficult to understand why some people and nations have to go through so much suffering and others do not. It is difficult to understand why life is so.
I wonder what the nations that have pledged aid and not doing are talking about it. Do you have those answers them?
The footage of the national palace and the trash on the roads when the car breaks down were powerful. Though I didn't know Wyclef was back to good?
Anderson you have a huge heart , as well of the rest of the reporters and crew men. Anderson Cooper my hero.... San Juan, Puerto Rico.