Amount of Decision: Euro 2,500,000
Decision reference number: ECHO/HTI/BUD/2004/06000
Explanatory Memorandum
1 - Rationale, needs and target population.
1.1. - Rationale:
With the passage of Hurricane Jeanne, Haiti's proneness to natural disaster has once more been dramatically highlighted. Although it is the country's geographic location which exposes it to natural hazards such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, landslides, and drought, the vulnerability of its population is only partly the result of this exposure but much more that of poverty, recurrent political and institutional crises and adverse socioeconomic and environmental conditions. It is, in particular, floods which have the most damaging and prolonged effects on people's lives and livelihoods. Less than 6 months ago flash floods in Haiti's south west claimed some 1,500 lives.
After the devastating floods in the north west of Haiti brought about by Tropical Storm Jeanne on 18-19 September 2004, it has become clear that virtually nobody in the Gonaïves area escaped unscathed from the floods. Due to the gravity of the impact in Gonaïves and the insufficient resources at hand, little attention was initially paid to other affected zones. However, the entire area between Gonaïves, Ennery, Port-de-Paix and Anse Rouge has also been affected. The road between Gonaives and Cap-Haitien, the main road to the north, is partly destroyed. Consequently, the whole northern department has been isolated from the rest of the country.
International relief agencies have reacted with distributions of food and water and the provision of immediate medical attention in spite of a very complex security situation. These efforts to date have been insufficient to meet the immediate needs of the population. There will also be significant needs for international support in the rehabilitation phase after the immediate humanitarian crisis.
With the aim of mobilizing resources for emergency relief and early recovery needs of the Haitian people affected by the disastrous floods, the UN have issued a Flash Appeal for an amount of USD 32 million. Emergency sectors identified in the appeal are food, health, water/sanitation, agriculture, education, early recovery/shelter and infrastructure, as well as coordination of humanitarian assistance. The appeal not only covers the funding needs of UN agencies but also those of NGOs working in the country.
Furthermore, IFRC issued an appeal for Haiti for an amount of 7.5 meuro.
In a first and quick response to the flood disaster in Haiti the European Commission, through ECHO, provided funding worth € 1.5 million. This amount which has been fully earmarked for aid agencies working in the Gonaïves region has proven insufficient given the scale of the short-term needs identified, meanwhile.