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Haiti

Haiti: Hurricane Matthew - Situation Report No. 13 (19 October 2016)

Attachments

This report is produced by OCHA Haiti in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It was issued by OCHA Haiti and covers the period of 17-19 October 2016. The next report will be issued on 21 October.

Highlights

  • 175,000 displaced people are living in 307 temporary shelters.

  • 546 deaths, 438 injuries and 128 missing reported.

  • 806,000 people are at extreme level of food insecurity.

  • 1,421 cholera cases suspected.

  • 34 treatment centres for cholera destroyed.

2.1 million
Affected people
Source: UN and Government

1.4 million
People need humanitarian aid
Source: UN and Government

806,000
People are food-insecure
Source: UN and Government

175,509
People displaced
Source: UN and Government

Situation Overview

On 4 October, Hurricane Matthew violently struck Haiti and resulted in the country’s largest humanitarianemergency since the 2010 earthquake. It caused extensive flooding and mudslides, damage to road infrastructure and buildings, as well as electricity and water shortages. The latest figures from thegovernmental Directorate of Civil Protection (CPD) of Haiti have so far confirmed 546 deaths and 438 injured as a result of the hurricane.

Though access continues to be gained to more affected areas, the poor conditions and lack of infrastructure – especially in the rural areas – continue to impede progress to the more remote parts of the country. Humanitarian needs are said to include access to a sufficient supply of quality water, education, shelter, child protection, health, and nutrition. The people in urgent food insecurity are locatedin areas where over 75 per cent of the population was affected by the hurricane. These include places where livelihood activities related to agriculture, livestock and fishing have been almost completely destroyed, such as crops, farming equipment, stocks, and trade.

Of the 1.4 million people who need humanitarian assistance, more than 40 per cent are children who are mainly in the Grand’Anse and Sud Departments. Another estimated 40 per cent – approximately 546,000 people – are women of reproductive age.

Following the government’s announcement to close temporary shelters with no plans to establish camps,there is a growing fear that displaced people will cause overcrowding in the homes of families and friends, or on the streets. UN agencies have also reported migration from rural areas to the towns as people look for food.

Exacerbating the pre-existing displacement crisis of tens of thousands of Haitians returning from the neighboring Dominican Republic, concerns have increased about the safety of children and families, especially with the increased risk of food insecurity, malnutrition, and vulnerability to violence – including sex- and gender-based violence (SGBV), exploitations, and disease. As of July 2016, an estimated 131,000 people were registered crossing the border towards Haiti, including 34.8 per cent women.

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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
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