Hurricanes in Haiti

Oxfam is there

Oxfam has been carrying out an emergency response since the beginning of the crisis. Our focus has been on water and sanitation, income generation, reconstruction, and public health promotion. We have also carried out distributions of hygiene and kitchen kits to families living in temporary shelters.

Nippes

In Nippes, close to 300 people participated in cash-for-work projects aimed at cleaning up the city of Miragoâne and the town of Petite Rivière. We worked with local authorities, SNEP and community-based groups to repair water distribution systems and provide clean water to over 4,000 families in the area.

Some 100 families and 20 schools are benefiting from construction materials such as metal sheeting, cement and nails to help with home and school repairs. A public health campaign with trained community mobilisers is also underway in communities and schools.

Gonaïves

In Gonaïves Oxfam has been focusing on water and sanitation and public health promotion. 

To date, with financial support from the humanitarian aid service of the European Commission, ECHO, and the Inter-American Development Bank, we have installed 272 temporary latrines and 122 portable shower stalls throughout temporary shelters in Gonaïves.

We have also trained 46 adult and 30 youth community mobilisers in key public health issues who in turn are working with children and adults alike in shelters to educate people on staying healthy by preventing common illnesses caused by poor hygiene practices.

More than 3,700 families (approximately 18,200 people) have received food and hygiene, kitchen and bedding kits provided by Oxfam Quebec and Oxfam GB.

Longer term: relief to reconstruction

We are now planning the begin the second phase of our emergency response to provide support to those who lost their livelihoods, and to help reinvigorate the local economy.

  The loss of income sources and good has badly affected people's purchasing capacity. Many crops due for harvesting were completely destroyed by wind, rain, and mud. We believe that it's really important to help re-establish people's income sources and food production to help increase their ability to purchase food, and ensure long-term recovery.

Yolette Etienne, Oxfam Country Director in Haiti

Update: February 2009

Learn more

• Background to the crisis

On the ground

Hurricane Ike passed through Haiti on Sunday 7 September 2008, just three days after Tropical Storm Hanna unloaded massive amounts of rain on the already water-saturated country.  This was the fourth major storm to hit the country since mid-August.

The UN estimates that some 650,000 people nationwide were affected by the storm. More than 61 people are reported to have died, the majority in the town of Gonaïves, where more than 60,000 people sought refuge in temporary shelters. 

  Hanna came through and wiped out all that I had managed to rebuild after Tropical Storm Jeanne [in September 2004]. This time it is worse, much worse. the only thing I was able to save was my one-year-old son.

Emmanuel André