Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP): Haiti Flash Appeal 2008

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Within the span of just over one week at the end of August and beginning of September, Hurricanes Fay and Gustav and tropical storm Hanna swept through Haiti, causing widespread destruction and despair throughout the country. 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. The number of Haitians directly and indirectly affected by the extreme weather conditions is much higher. Initial projections show that the economic impact of the current disasters will be even worse than after hurricane Jeanne which hit Haiti in 2004. A large majority of the population was already facing extreme hardship with 53% living with less than one US dollar per day, while prices for staple foods have increased over 40% since the beginning of the year.

During the night of 3 September, the town of Gonaives and its region was severely hit, directly affecting 300,000 people out of a total population of 350,000 by flooding. As of 6 September, over 100,000 people had taken refuge in temporary shelters in various parts of Haiti. A first estimate indicates that tens of thousands of houses have been damaged or destroyed. Many main roads and bridges across the country are destroyed or blocked, compounding an already difficult logistics operation. In several regions, the agricultural sector has been left in ruin, leaving hundreds of thousands in need of food aid, water, non-food items and health services in the short and medium term. Current rains from the periphery of Hurricane Ike are likely to worsen a desperate situation.

So far, emergency relief such as shelter, food, water, non-food items, and the provision of medical care is provided in all accessible areas that have been affected by the storms. Special support will be required for the most vulnerable families to be able to repair their houses. Heavy investment will also be necessary for rehabilitation of roads and public buildings, and to re-launch agricultural activities. While humanitarian assistance in the form of relief supplies and services is an immediate priority, of equal importance will be the need to inject cash in the economy, notably by giving immediate cash-forwork jobs to Haitians whose livelihoods have been destroyed by these disasters. Activities using a labour-intensive approach should be given priority, in particular activities aimed at jumpstarting agricultural production and addressing the catastrophic environmental condition of the country.

The international community is working closely with, and under the leadership of, the Haitian Government which has made an official request to the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for international assistance. This Flash Appeal seeks USD$ 107,714,621 for actions over a planning horizon of six months. The activities described in the document reflect the coherent response of UN agencies and NGOs in coordination with the Haitian Government and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to provide immediate and early recovery assistance. The Appeal will be updated and revised within a month to reflect new needs as the situation evolves and as better assessments become possible. The international donor community is hereby asked to provide a quick and generous response in order to enable this effort to succeed.

Note:

(1) All dollar signs in this document denote United States dollars. Funding for this appeal should be reported to the Financial Tracking Service (FTS, fts@reliefweb.int), which will display its requirements and funding on the CAP 2008 page.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Table I. and II Summary of Requirements By Sector and by Appealing Organization

2. CONTEXT AND HUMANITARIAN CONSEQUENCES

2.1 CONTEXT

2.2 RESPONSE TO DATE

KEY FACTS AND FIGURES OF RESPONSE TO DATE IN HAITI BY CLUSTER (AS OF 9 SEPTEMBER)

3. RESPONSE PLANS

3.1 AGRICULTURE

3.2 COORDINATION

3.3 EARLY RECOVERY

3.4 EDUCATION

3.5 EMERGENCY TELECOMMUNICATIONS

3.6 FOOD ASSISTANCE

3.7 HEALTH

3.8 LOGISTICS

3.9 PROTECTION

3.10 SHELTER AND NON-FOOD ITEMS

3.11 WATER AND SANITATION

4. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Table III. List of Projects – (grouped by Sector)

Table IV. List of Projects – (grouped by appealing organisation)

Table V. Summary of Requirements – By IASC Sector

ANNEX I. INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF RED CROSS AND RED CRESCENT SOCIETIES

ANNEX II. ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

Please note that appeals are revised regularly. The latest version of this document is available on http://www.humanitarianappeal.net

Note: The full text of this appeal is available on-line in Adobe Acrobat (pdf) format and may also be downloaded in zipped MS Word format.

Full Original Appeal [pdf* format] [zipped MS Word format]

For additional copies, please contact:

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Palais des Nations
8-14 Avenue de la Paix
CH - 1211 Geneva, Switzerland

Tel.: (41 22) 917.1972
Fax: (41 22) 917.0368
E-Mail: cap@reliefweb.int