Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Port-au-Prince (Agenzia Fides) – Caritas Haiti is asking for humanitarian aid for victims of Tropical Storm Gustav and the Storm Hanna, which have forced nearly 4,000 people to evacuate the Caribbean nation and that has claimed the lives of at least 136 people. According to a report from the local Caritas, the passing of the storm has caused severe damages to housing, infrastructures, and agriculture and an estimated 25,000 people are without drinking water.
Caritas Haiti is proceeding with an assessment of urgent needs for the victims, so as to launch a help petition to the international network in the coming days. Caritas Spain has announced its intention to support the call. This recent natural disaster has struck an already “vulnerable” nation, which in recent months has been facing a severe food crisis (see Fides 9/7/2008 and 17/4/2008).
According to the most recent information, Tropical Storm Hanna has left a trail of death and destruction on the island of Hispaniola, concentrating mainly on the western half, occupied by Haiti. The Civil Protection service in Haiti issued a statement saying that an additional 77 had died from “Gustav and 21 in Gonaives last week. Although the rains have diminished somewhat, the government has declared a state of emergency this week and various cities continue to remain incommunicable, which complicates the process of distributing humanitarian aid. Thousands of Haitians are without electricity. The most critical situation is in the refugee camps where thousands of Haitians are without food or water, for example in the seaside town of Gonaives, where 120,000 of its 150,000 inhabitants were affected.
The international community has made a collective effort in support of the victims. The World Food Program (WFP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the non-governmental organization (NGO) Intermon Oxfam, and countries like Spain have agreed to send several tons of humanitarian aid. The 562 members of the Argentinean military who form part of the UN peace-keeping mission in Haiti, with a base in Gonaives (155 kilometers from the capital city of Port-au-Prince) rescued the Cuban patients and doctors from a hospital there. The Dominican Republic, located on the other side of the island of Hispaniola, continues under alert and without electricity in many areas. No reports of deaths have been given, however 11,580 have been evacuated, 55 communities are isolated and 2,316 homes have been damaged. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 5/9/2008)
