@hawkeye10,
This simply reflects the completeness of the destruction there, resulting from a very severe earthquake that occurred very near a dense urban center, that also happened to be the only major logistics and distribution center for a large island population. Unfortunately the people there need everything at the same time and there is very little on site substitution of means and methods available. This is certainly an unusual combination of events, and it doesn't necessarily reflect any unusual failure on the part of Haitien society (apart from inadequate building codes & standards). Indeed it should remind us all of the fragility of our urban centers in the face of large natural disasters.
It appears that the unfortunate Haitiens were also a victim of an unusual combination of events. Haiti is a poor country with limited resources: the construction methods (unreinforced masonry & concrete) that made them so vulnerable to this unusual earthquake perversely were also a low cost and effective remedy for the much more frequent and equally destructive hazard of tropical storms and hurricanes.
I took the time to read again some descriptions of the aftermath of the San Francisco (where I live) earthquake and fire of 1906. This was a somewhat stronger earthquake in a place that experienced them frequently - violent storms are rare here, but earthquakes are an ever present occurrence. Almost all of the city was then built of wood framed structures, from readily available and ample timber, which have the flexibility to very effectively withstand most earthquakes. Indeed, for the most part, San Francisco emerged from the 1906 quake mostly intact - during the first few hours. Perversely it was fires - from earthquake damage to early design gas distribution systems - that destroyed most of the city over the next two days. The destruction and chaos that resulted was comparable to what occurred in Haiti, though the death toll was much less owing mostly to the much lower population density. Moreover recovery was less challenging because of the large immediate surrounding area and natural means for movement and resupply.
This region experiences a large earthquake somewhere about every 12 or so years. Each one reveals yet another weakness in building codes and standards, despite the fact that they have been evolving for over a century. Even after many prior experiences, our 1989 earthquake collapsed about 3 miles of elevated urban roadway, killing about 25 people. Potentially worse, another 8 or so miles of elevated roads in the center of the city came close to collapse and were promptly taken down after the quake.
I guess my point is that we all live closer to such disasters than we often think. We should do all we can to help the unfortunate folks in Haiti in theirs.
