Reflections on Hurricane Sandy
By Kristen & Wawa Chege, of the Mennonite Central Committee, published on the website of Under Tents, Oct 28, 2012 (please go to the web link to see photos)
As rains fell for the fourth day in a row on Friday, Haitians living in tent camps were left with few options but to wait out the storm under the patches of tarping that constitute their homes. Jackson Doliscar, Community Mobilizer for Fòs Refleksyon ak Aksyon sou Koze Kay (FRAKKA), visited several of these tent camps to assess the damage and try to bolster spirits. As he went, he encouraged people to mobilize and demand that the Haitian government develop a plan for a permanent solution to their housing needs.
Hurricane Sandy brought with her 20 inches of rain: whole camps flooded as streams emerged between tents, shelters fell under the weight of sitting water, dirt floors turned to mud, and precious possessions were ruined. Efforts to raise mattresses off the ground using cinder blocks, and string clothes from wires inside their tent made little difference as the rain poured in through holes in the tent, or seeped in below the walls. As one man succinctly put it, “everything is wet”.
Denold Ganti the camp coordinator at Trazeliy Camp in Tabarre said that he had called several aid agencies and the government for help, but they had yet to see any assistance. Doliscar delivered a rather sobering message to a group of young men who were frustrated at the lack of action by aid agencies: “The NGOs are already leaving; when they’re all gone who will be responsible? We must mobilize!”
It has been three years since the earthquake of January 2010 hit Haiti, and 370,000 continue to live in tent camps trying to put off the day when their structures will no longer be standing. Since 2010, several hurricanes and tropical storms have hit these camps, accelerating the imminent destruction of these temporary structures. The total impact of this storm has yet to be seen, but already 65 people have been reported dead as a direct result. The damage caused by Hurricane Sandy is but a small glimpse of the everyday struggles that these Internally Displaced People have encountered.
“It can be done,” said Jean Louis Elie Joseph, Camp Coordinator for KOREVI-E, Acra, Adoquin, referring to a social housing plan. “It takes thorough planning and a lot of organizing, but this would mean the establishment of a centralized body in the government charged with the responsibility of coordinating affordable housing.”
But, plans such as this require land, monetary resources, legal documentation, and leadership, something that only the Haitian government can provide. In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, FRAKKA is highlighting the urgency of the establishment of a housing ministry in the Haitian government.
You can stand in solidarity with the displaced people that are calling for affordable, permanent housing. Join more than 2,000 people around the world and sign this petition today asking the Haitian government and its international donors to prioritize housing: http://www.change.org/petitions/400-000-homeless-still-wait-for-a-plan-….
Report from Port au Prince
Friday, Oct 26, 2012
Dear brothers and sisters,
I am writing you to let you know of the situation in Haiti following Hurricane Sandy. I just returned from a trip to Port-au-Prince. The situation is devastating. The storm stayed for almost five days. The rain fell without ceasing. The wind was very strong. The streets are flooded. In some areas the water is waist deep. On my drive to and from Port-au-Prince, I saw many bridges that have fallen and are destroyed. I have seen streets that I pass everyday, now are rushing rivers.
As much as this saddens me, I am not surprised. With the infrastructure we have, these results are to be expected. The departments that were affected the most were the South, South East, West, Nippes, and Grand Anse. It saddens me that school just began three weeks ago, and already there is another problem for the people of Haiti. There are many people who were still living in tents or in unsafe housing, and the hurricane took away what shelter they had.
Hurricane Sandy has left many people displaced and with no place to turn to. Many families in Haiti already had a difficult time providing for their families. Now after the hurricane, it is more difficult to find food to eat, and people who give food cannot provide for everyone who needs it. I am asking for you to please continue to keep the people of Haiti in your prayers. It means so much to me, and to the Haitian people. Thank you so much for these prayers and for everything you have done for us already. It is appreciated so much. I cannot put into words how you have helped the people of Haiti.
Blessing to you,
Rev. Dr. Kesner Ajax
Head Administrator for Bishop Durasin of the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti
kesnerajax@yahoo.com http://bti-haiti.org/
Hurricane Sandy: Haiti in emergency aid plea as disaster piles upon disaster
By Jonathan Watts, The Guardian (UK), Oct 30, 2012
Haiti and the United Nations are planning an appeal for emergency aid after Hurricane Sandy killed 54 people and devastated crops last week before going on to hit the United States. With hundreds of thousands of people still living in tents after the earthquake in 2010, Haiti was hardest hit by the storm. The call for donations follows a 96% drop in financial support for UN humanitarian programmes over the past two years, despite the continued vulnerability of the western hemisphere's poorest country.
Sandy has worsened the threats posed by cholera and food shortages, say senior aid officials evaluating the damage from the latest disaster before a meeting this week to draw up an appeal. "Haiti is trying to get its house in order, but each time disaster strikes, the progress is interrupted," said Johan Peleman, head of the UN's office for the co-ordination of humanitarian affairs.
"This country is exposed to devastating consequences by each storm. With every burst of rain, entire mountains are washed away." He said humanitarian funding had fallen from $2bn (£1.2bn) in 2010 to just $75m this year.
Following a huge storm earlier this year, Haiti was only skimmed by Sandy's tail, but its dire infrastructure and high levels of deforestation magnified the damage and number of casualties.
The government raised the death toll to 54 on Tuesday (Oct 30) with 20 still missing. Tens of thousands have been left homeless. In just four days, the south and south-west of Haiti was soaked by 50cm of rain, equivalent to almost an average year's worth in London.
Some victims were washed away when rivers burst their banks. Others died in accidents caused by the storm. One family of five--a mother and her four children--were crushed when the roof of their home collapsed in Grand-Goave. But the greatest loss of life may still be to come as the country struggles to cope with the accumulated impacts of earthquakes and hurricanes which have devastated housing and crops.
The deluge compounded more than a year of misery for the 370,000 refugees who have been living in temporary camps since 2010. The winds scattered thousands of tents and ripped through the tarpaulins of countless others. Video images show residents trying to sleep on sodden bedding and wading through muddy water on flooded pathways.
Oxfam and the International Federation of the Red Cross are distributing additional sanitation and water purification kits. The government and aid agencies are also preparing to provide food and seeds to try to offset the harvest-time loss of crops such as plantains, bananas, maize and sugar cane.
"It was a relatively small disaster, but it will have a big impact," said Amelie Gauthier, of Oxfam's office in Port-au-Prince. "These rains will have an impact for months to come. All it takes is the loss of one or two lemon trees and some families here will no longer be able to afford to send their children to school. As people lose more and more of their capital, the vulnerability increases with the accumulation of disasters."
The government has been praised for its response, but the series of disasters is taking its toll. "We have a lot of work ahead of us in terms of the aid that we will need to deliver in the days, weeks and months to come," prime minister Laurent Lamothe has said. "It won't be easy because there are many roads and bridges that have been cut off."
The government has warned the population that more extreme weather may be coming. "In November we may see more hurricanes. So if the government doesn't work hard to protect the people Haiti will know a very hard time by the end of this year," said a meteorological official quoted in a local newspaper.