'Frontline' Examines Post-Quake Haiti

HAITI -- March 30, 2010 at 6:07 PM EDT

'Frontline' Examines Post-Quake Haiti

On the eve of a major donors conference for Haiti in New York, Frontline correspondent Martin Smith checked in with us to discuss the chaos of the immediate aftermath of the Jan. 12 earthquake and the challenges that lie ahead.

The earthquake struck just as Haiti seemed to be turning over a new leaf economically.

Now, appeals for assistance will focus on re-establishing the most basic services and rebuilding entire cities, including the capital Port-au-Prince, that were left in ruins by the quake. The Haitian government estimates the country's needs at $11.5 billion.

An international donors conference begins Wednesday morning at U.N. headquarters in New York, but Smith points out that there are several immediate as well as long-term problems, including health risks posed by the rainy season, that loom.

Frontline's "The Quake" airs Tuesday night on most PBS stations.

View Smith's conversation with Hari Sreenivasan here:

You can also watch Monday's Frontline/NPR collaborative piece on how entrepreneurs are flourishing in Haiti's tent cities here.

The PBS NewsHour welcomes your original comments. We reserve the right to remove posts that do not follow these basic guidelines: comments must be relevant to the topic of the post; may not include profanity, personal attacks or hate speech; may not promote a business or raise money; may not be spam. Anything you post should be your own work. The PBS NewsHour reserves the right to read on the air and/or publish on its Web site or in any medium now known or unknown the comments or e-mails that we receive. By submitting comments, you agree to the PBS Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which include more details.