HERE is some food for thought from Tyler Cowen:

From the reports I have seen, my tentative conclusion is that the country as a whole is currently below the subsistence level and will remain so for the foreseeable future. Hundreds of thousands of people have died, the U.N. Mission has collapsed, the government is not working (was it ever?), and hundreds of thousands or maybe millions of people are living in the streets without reliable food or water supplies. The hospitals and schools have collapsed. The airport is shut down. The port is very badly damaged. The Haitian Penitentiary has collapsed and the inmates -- tough guys most of them -- are running free for the foreseeable future. There is no viable police force or army. In other words, it's not just a matter of offering extra food aid for two or three years. Very rapidly, President Obama needs to come to terms with the idea that the country of Haiti, as we knew it, probably does not exist any more.

The earthquake has directly impacted about a third of the nation's population of 9 million. Perhaps 2% of the population has been killed, and a much larger share has been injured. Much, and maybe most, of the capital city has been destroyed. Millions may be without homes.

Before the disaster, Haiti was the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and among the poorest nations on earth. Infrastructure was barely functional, and it was difficult for the government to govern in the best of circumstances. Rebuilding will have to take place almost entirely under the direction of outsiders, with resources provided almost entirely by outsiders. What exactly does that mean for a country?

One has to suspect that many of the survivors will seek to emigrate, and given the circumstances, many countries may be willing to accept them.

This tragedy will present an interesting challenge to the global community. Oddly enough, it may be one for which they'll need the practice. Within a few decades, there will be other island communities needing to relocate on a wholesale basis. If there is any positive to be taken away from this disaster, it may be that the world has the opportunity to begin developing the institutions it will need to peacefully manage climate refugees.