Heavy Rains Ravage Haiti’s Capital as Hurricane Season Approaches

June 9, 2011

 Immediate Action Necessary to Stop Preventable Deaths and Injuries

Thunderstorms dumped more than six inches on Haiti earlier this week, leaving more than 20 people dead and many more missing as the hurricane season begins. More bad weather is in the forecast. People’s poorly constructed homes, made from tarps, tents, and sheets were swept away as their camps flooded, leaving the most vulnerable groups – particularly women, children and the elderly – at great risk. Those in sturdier transitional housing are not experiencing the same grave danger as the hundreds of thousands of Haitians who remain in flimsy “shelter” almost eighteen months after the catastrophic earthquake.

Cholera emerged as a deadly epidemic in Haiti last October and is now spiking again due to the heavy rains and poor water systems throughout Haiti. In response to an initial decrease in reported cholera cases since last October the number of Cholera Treatment Centers (CTCs) has dropped from 98 to 46. International non-governmental organizations (NGOs) tasked with addressing the cholera crisis continue to focus on the unsustainable practice of water distribution with little done to create sustainable water filtration and processing options. The situation has been compounded by a lack of education, specifically in rural areas, on cholera prevention and treatment.

President Martelly visited multiple camps and gave a live address Monday night to indicate his support for Haitians who continue to live in camps and unstable housing. The questions still remain: Will he turn talk into concrete action by providing alternatives housing? Will he provide for vulnerable Haitians as the hurricane season gets underway and threatens to pummel Haiti with more torrential rains for months to come?

In addition, many Haitians are returning to structurally unsound homes. This is another major concern during hurricane season; 342,550 residences have been structurally assessed, and only around half have been found to be structurally sound. Despite this, reports indicate that over 1 million people have moved back into houses marked red or yellow, indicating that they are unsafe for occupation.Thirteen deaths from the storm were caused by these kinds of houses collapsing.

The US Government and their NGO partners responsible for housing and shelter must take immediate action to protect Haiti’s most vulnerable families during hurricane season. This includes:

1. Improving the stagnant housing situation by getting people out of tents and into transitional housing, as well as, creating feasible alternatives to returning to unsafe yellow and red houses. There is a need to immediately implement A long-term housing strategy is needed now. It should be created in direct consultation with Haitian civil society organizations and immediately implemented.

2. Demanding more funding to increase the number of Cholera Treatment Centers, especially now when the number of cases is increasing rapidly.

3. Working closely with the Government of Haiti regarding water and waste management. The focus must be to create a system of potable water that is sustainable and increases the availability of safe water for all Haitians.

Photographs taken the team of Bri Kouri Nouvel Gaye

http://transafrica.org/2011/06/policy-overview/caribbean/haiti/heavy-rains-ravage-haiti%E2%80%99s-capital-as-hurricane-season-approaches/