Haiti: Tropical Storm Ike, Hanna, Gustav OCHA Situation Report No. 8

General Situation

According to the DPC, 328 people have been confirmed dead. Some 170,000 families have been affected as a result of tropical storms Fay, Hanna, Gustav and Ike. Some areas in the Southern Departments have still not been accessed. In Artibonite, the DPC considers Gonaives, Grand Saline and Desdunes as the priority area.

Relief operations to the various departments hit by the storms continue with efforts focusing on the most affected area of the city of Gonaives where an estimated 80,000 people remain in temporary shelters. Distribution of potable water remains the main challenge due to the lack of available transport capacity. Local authorities plan to set up strategic distribution points where bladder tanks will be positioned. UNDAC with WFP and UNPOL organized a rapid food distribution for some 220 prisoners, who had not received aid so far. The UN Disaster Assessment Coordination (UNDAC) dispatched one additional staff to the town yesterday to strengthen its seven-member team already on the ground in support of humanitarian coordination. MINUSTAH is coordinating its operations with the US Navy ship dispatched to provide logistic support for aid distributions.

The affected areas in the Southern department (Tiburon to Les Cayes) and the South Eastern department (Cotes de Fer, Cayes, Jacmel), which are still partly inaccessible, are a further priority. Members of the UNDAC team have been deployed to Les Cayes, to assess the situation in surrounding affected areas.

The main challenge continues to be distribution of relief items to beneficiaries. The capacity of implementing partners involved in the distribution of assistance is limited. Security concerns also hamper a swift distribution of assistance. Furthermore, the number of beneficiaries tends to increase exponentially, once aid is about to be delivered, posing a significant challenge to plan for an adequate amount of aid to be distributed.

During the past two days, coordination between cluster leads and with the government has been further strengthened. A cluster leads meeting took place on 9 September. The Humanitarian Coordinator requested an analysis of each cluster lead on achievements, priorities and gaps in each area of intervention. Further meetings to ensure complementary and coordination between clusters will be held on a regular basis. On 10 September, Prime Minister Michele Pierre-Louis convened a meeting with the DSRSG/RC/HC to take stock of the disaster relief operations implemented by the international community in response to the humanitarian crisis. The meeting was attended by several members of her cabinet, including -among others- the Minister of Planning and External Cooperation, the Minister of the Interior, the Minister of Public Works, the Minister of Education and the Secretary of State for Public Security. Priority actions to be undertaken jointly by the Government and humanitarian agencies were also defined.

At the local level, UNDAC teams (currently in Gonaives and Les Cayes) have the responsibility for humanitarian coordination on behalf of the HC. As soon as longer-term resources are available, these teams will be replaced by OCHA or staff from the RC/HC Office.

In terms of humanitarian funding, the UN Country team in consultation with Haitian authorities is finalizing a Flash Appeal, which most likely will be launched in New York and Haiti on 12 September.

Road Conditions

According to UNDSS, movements by road from Gonaives to Port au Prince and from Saint Marc to Port au Prince are still prohibited due to flooding and collapsed bridges. The road from Ennery to Gonaives and from Cap Haitian to Hinche is equally prohibited for UN staff movement. The Road from Port de Paix to Gonaives is equally prohibited for UN staff movement. The Road from Port au Prince to Les Cayes through Miragoane is hardly accessible, since the bridge at Grand Goave is reportedly at the verge of collapsing. Roads from Hinche to PAP is cleared. Access from PAP to Jacmel is possibly by road, however, caution is required. Although the road from Jeremie to Les Cayes is cleared, caution is still recommended.