ReliefWeb

As of 6 September 2017, Hurricane Irma, a category 5 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 295 km/hour, it has significantly strengthened to become one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic. To date, it has passed over Barbuda, Saint Barthelemy, Anguilla, Saint Marten, British and US Virgin Islands, and is currently battering the northern areas of Puerto Rico. It is forecast to move west-northwest in the general direction of Dominican Republic, Haiti, Turks and Caicos, Cuba and the Bahamas before continuing toward Florida. Damage and needs assessments are expected to be deployed as soon as conditions improve, and information is currently largely limited to government, media and UN agency sources. Hurricane warnings remain in place for Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Haiti. In Haiti, Hurricane Irma is unlikely to severely affect those areas affected by Hurricane Matthew in 2016, and the strongest impact of winds, floods and landslides will be in the northern regions of the country. Heavy winds may still hit the southern regions of the country, including the departments of Grande Anse, the South, and the South-East, compounding Matthew’s previous damage.

ACT Alliance members work in Haiti, Dominican Republic and Cuba, in the three countries currently the national forums are monitoring the development of the hurricane, and are in contact with the authorities and other NGOs in preparation to respond.

NEEDS

The hurricane is expected to cause strong winds and heavy rainfall, so the impact is likely to be very serious. Many families live in makeshift shelters, in isolated mountainous regions that are difficult to access, or along the seashore. In the event of flooding and landslides, they will have to fend for themselves until emergency services manage to reach them. As a direct result of the hurricane and based on the vulnerabilities of populations at risk, the following humanitarian needs are to be expected: food, WASH, shelter and NFIs, emergency livelihoods, psychosocial support, health services, and cash transfers. Mobilization of needs assessments would also be a challenge in the early days after impact, especially in the mountainous regions of Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba.