Caribbean Hurricane Season OCHA Situation Report No. 10

This situation report is based on information received from, the UN Emergency Technical Team (UNETT) in the affected countries, the Regional Office in Panama and the National Hurricane Centre. This situation report covers the effects of Hurricanes "Gustav", "Hanna" and "Ike" in the Caribbean.

HIGHLIGHTS

- Hurricane "Ike" is currently battering Cuba following the passage of "Gustav" that had earlier caused enormous damage to the country.

- In Haiti, the DPC informs that some 86,000 have been seriously affected and 170 persons lost their lives as a result of "Hanna"(1.) The situation has worsened due to "Hurricane Ike".

- As a result of Hurricane "Ike", an UNDAC Team was deployed to Turks and Caicos.

SITUATION

1. Hurricane "Ike" is now a Category 2 hurricane and is currently battering Cuba, after passing north of Hispaniola and close to the Turks and Caicos. "Ike" is moving towards the west but a turn toward the west -northwest should begin today. The centre of hurricane "Ike" should move back over water near Punta Macurijes in the province of Camaguey soon and pass over the southern Coast of Central Cuba and western Cuba on Tuesday. Some fluctuations of strength are expected but maximum sustained winds are near 100 mph/160Km/per hour. Large and dangerous battering waves along the southern coast of Cuba are expected.

2. The Caribbean region has been affected since 15 August successively by tropical storm Fay, hurricanes "Gustav" and "Hanna". These have affected Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos, Costa Rica, Cuba and the United States with Haiti and Cuba particularly impacted.

HAITI

3. Even though the centre of hurricane "Ike" did not directly touch Haiti, it had a significant impact on many regions of the country. Heavy rains were reported in the north, particularly in the area of Port de Paix, Anse Rouge and Gonaives. Several bridges were destroyed or seriously damaged, limiting access to the affected regions. Due to weather conditions, the airport in Port au-Prince was closed most of the day of Sunday 7 September which impeded the transportation of humanitarian assistance.

4. Resulting from rising water levels, the already vulnerable situation in Gonaives became even more precarious. The city could not be accessed by road or by helicopter. Hence, no additional relief items could be transported to Gonaives on 7 September. Distribution of the already existing relief supply stocks was also hampered. Food rations for three days (HEB), water as well as hygiene kits were distributed to approximately 4,000 people instead of the planned 6,000. Relief operations in Gonaives are further hampered by the increasing scarcity of fuel and mounting security concerns.

5. In view of limited capacity on the ground to organize the distribution of relief items, the DSRSG/RC/HC recommended humanitarian partners to increase the cooperation with local organizations and local staff in order to facilitate the process. An emergency coordination meeting with the UNCT and the DPC was convened by the DSRSG/RC/HC to discuss response in Gonaives, the South East and South West of the country. It was agreed that the delivery of relief supplies should be the priority at this stage, together with rapid assessments to evaluate the impact of "Ike" in the northern departments. The DSRSG/RC/HC cautioned that the capacity of the MINUSTAH base to accommodate more UN humanitarian coordination staff was stretched to a limit and that agencies should coordinate with MINUSTAH on this matter.

6. The government held a press conference today, reporting on damages inflicted by the hurricanes and most urgent needs, as well as on planned actions to respond to the emergency situation. The Ministry of Education reported that a total of 37 schools have suffered damage to various degrees by the storms.

Sectoral Response

7. In the health sector, assessments are on going as well as sectoral meetings. MSF conducted an assessment with two doctors in different shelters in Gonaives city. In the food sector, some 39,080 persons have received food aid, as 242 MT of food were distributed. Food assistance was provided by WFP and its partners Care, Caritas and Crose to people in temporary shelters in Port-au-Prince, Saint Michel de l'Atalaye, Port-de-Paix, Jeremie, Les Cayes, Miragoane, Grand- Goave, Bainet and Jacmel; World Vision started distributions in Hinche and Island of La Gonave; CRS provided dry food rations in Les Cayes. On 7 September, WFP delivered 16 MT of High-Energy Biscuits (HEB) to Gonaives by boat, however, they could not be distributed yet. Some 22 MT of HEB were delivered to Gonaives by helicopter and a further 10 MT are ready to be delivered. WFP will be sending additional staff to Gonaives by helicopter and is exploring access

by road with M6 trucks to transport food commodities. In the shelter and NFIs sector, Action Contre la Faim distributed emergency supplies including hygiene kits, water purification tablets, blankets and other items to an estimated 500families in Port de Paix, with supplies pre-positioned through the emergency programme. UNICEF also pre-positioned 20,000 L of water in Port-au-Prince for immediate needs. IOM and partners distributed some 113 kitchen kits and hygiene kits in temporary shelters in St. Marc.

8. The series of natural disasters affecting Haiti comes at a critical time as the vast majority of the population is already struggling with raising living costs. The increase in food prices coupled with the impact of the 2008 hurricane season has increased Haiti's vulnerability. Hence, planning for income generating early recovery activities is crucial to allow the affected population to re-build their lives. Overall, while needs assessments are far from complete; it is estimated that up to 800,000 people are in dire need of humanitarian and rehabilitation assistance. Initial projections show that the economic impact of the current disasters will be even worse than after hurricane Jeanne which hit Haiti in 2004.

9. A Flash Appeal is being finalised as well as a CERF request. The Humanitarian Coordinator has informed that United Nations and partners are using the cluster approach to support the Haitian government's efforts. The country team has requested particular support from global clusters in the following four areas: Logistics (WFP), Water & Sanitation (UNICEF), Shelter and Non-Food Items (IOM) and Early Recovery (UNDP). Cluster leads in Haiti have already been in touch with their respective Headquarters to request reinforcements in these areas. Please find in Annex I the table of assistance to Haiti.