Amidst so much death and destruction in Haiti, tiny Elisabeth Joassaint has been hailed as the greatest miracle.
Just 23 days old, Elisabeth was asleep in her crib when the earth shook in Jacmel, a town on Haiti's southern coast. After the ceiling collapsed, Elisabeth was lost in the rubble for eight long days.
Then, her mother says, a miracle happened: French and Colombian rescuers managed to reach the baby girl who was scrunched up in a five-inch void in the rubble. She was unscathed but dehydrated.
"Her survival is down to the mercy of God," her mother said.
Perhaps as many as two hundred thousand people have lost their lives in Haiti and yet each story of survival brings a flicker of hope. So far, rescue teams have pulled at least 132 people from toppled buildings, with babies and toddlers commanding the greatest attention. Every time, we wonder: How can the most vulnerable and defenseless survive?
In disasters and other traumas, experts say, infants and youngsters are remarkably hardy and resilient, arriving in the world with built-in mini-survival kits. Indeed, most of us probably underestimate what one pediatrician has called the "margin of safety that Mother Nature gives to newborns."
Consider some of their survival advantages:
Nutrition Onboard: Perhaps 15 percent of a brand new baby's weight is made up of extra body fat intended to nourish the little one as it waits for its mother's milk to come in. By some estimates, newborns can survive weeks without food.
Ready for Stress: Experts say newborns are built to handle the stress of childbirth and adapt to sudden arrival in a new, strange and often inhospitable world. Under pressure, for instance, they can lie still, slowing their metabolic rates, saving energy and water.
Unafraid of the Dark: Newborns are intimately familiar with cramped, quiet darkness. Unlike adults, they don't exactly realize they've been buried alive. Of course, fear is a primal emotion, but experts say that newborns don't have to struggle with the same feelings of helplessness and hopelessness when a roof caves in.
Of course, babies have their own critical needs, especially warmth. In this case, Haiti's warm climate may have helped significantly, protecting the core body temperatures of little survivors buried in the ruins.
In addition, the humidity in Haiti may have reduced the pace of dehydration among survivors. "At 90 degrees, you would die of dehydration in seven days and at 120 degrees, you would die in two days," according to Dr. Kent Holtorf in The Daily News. "But if you add in the extra humidity, like in Haiti, you're not losing water through your skin as quickly, and you can survive for an extra three to five days."
Naturally, there's a limit to how long anyone can survive without any food and water. Perhaps that's the grim reason that some search-and-rescue teams are packing up and pulling out. Rapid UK, a British rescue team, along with 60 British firefighters, are going back to the United Kingdom, saying it's almost impossible for anyone to still be alive in the ruins.
And yet today, a 69-year-old Haitian woman was found alive in a collapsed building in Port-au-Prince. She's in bad shape and may not survive, but in Haiti and around the world, everyone is praying for more miracles.UPDATE:
As of Saturday (Jan. 23), the Haitian government declared an end to searches for living people buried in the rubble. At the same time, another survivor was saved after 11 days in the ruins of a hotel grocery story. Wismond Exantus was rescued when searchers dug a narrow tunnel into the wreckage.
Dehydrated and exhausted, Exantus was carried out on a stretcher as onlookers cheered. The 20-something survivor later told the Associated Press that he stayed alive by diving under a desk during the quake and drinking cola, beer and eating cookies.
"I was hungry, but every night I thought about the revelation that I would survive," Exantus said from his hospital bed.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.