Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7 — a service provided by UN OCHA

Haiti

Haiti: Tropical Storm Hanna, Gustav, Ike OCHA Situation Report No. 24

Attachments

OVERVIEW OF THE SITUATION

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes will visit Haiti this Thursday and Friday to review the response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the storms that recently hit the country.

During his visit, Holmes will meet with Haitian leaders and representatives of the UN system and non-governmental organizations. He will also visit the city of Gonaïves, which was devastated by the hurricanes.

Today's national weather bulletin shows that the Western Caribbean is under the influence of a weak front localized over Cuba. However, a mass of dry and stable air is limiting rainfall over Haiti both today and tomorrow. There is a chance of isolated rain in the North, North-East, Centre and West Departments.

Update on relief efforts:

Shelter and Non-Food Items: Shelter materials are still a priority. However, despite the ongoing coordinated efforts, no significant gains on gaps have been achieved. The following needs remain to be covered: 83,153 tarpaulins, 100,281 plastic sheeting, 70,345 sheets and blankets, 92,744 sleeping mats, 123,290 mosquito nets, 95,759 tools, 93,288 hygiene kits, and 72,556 cooking kits.

Food: As of 21 October, WFP has distributed 5,263 metric tons of food items to 525,944 direct beneficiaries including 694,456 fortnightly rations distributed to 266,670 beneficiaries in Gonaives. The rapid family census exercise of different zones of Gonaives is still ongoing while data entry is being done for the areas where the exercise has already been completed. New WFP rations cards will be distributed to targeted households.

Protection: According to information received by Handicap International from the Government of Haiti, the official statistic for disability prevalence is 10 per cent of the population; all agencies should therefore consider that 10 per cent of the affected population is also affected by disability. Handicap International works at national level with the Secretary of State for the Integration of Handicapped Persons and with RANIPH, the national network of local NGOs working with handicapped persons

OCHA-UNICEF joint assessment: From 15 to 17 October, OCHA and UNICEF conducted a joint field assessment mission in the South-East Department with the aim of evaluating the evolution of the situation on the ground. Among other findings, the mission revealed the following issues:

- Water: Water is the sector that has been the most affected by the hurricanes. A large number of water systems were affected throughout the department.

- Agriculture: Heavy damage was limited to very specific areas and most of the agricultural sector was already in early recovery stage. Because of the cropping cycle and raining patterns, most agricultural recovery in non-irrigated areas must happen right now. It is critical to drastically speed up the delivery of early recovery assistance to the agricultural sector otherwise the support will come too late.

Disclaimer

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.