Haiti Reconstruction to Cost up to $14bn

An IDB study calculates that it will cost between $8bn and $14bn to rebuild Haiti’s infrastructure, making the earthquake that hit the country in January proportionately the most destructive natural disaster of modern times. IDB economists Andrew Powell, Eduardo Cavallo and Oscar Becerra calculate a base estimate of $8.1bn for a 250,000 dead-or-missing toll, but they estimate this figure is likely to be at the low end. The team concludes that an estimate of $13.9bn is within the statistical margin of error. As of February 11, the Haitian government had reported 230,000 dead.