NEW YORK – The United Nations (UN) says the humanitarian crisis triggered by January’s earthquake in Haiti could worsen with the onset of this year’s hurricane season, which experts have warned could be severe.
As a result, the UN, along with its partners, is preparing for a worst-case scenario.
“This is a country acutely exposed to hurricanes at the best of times,” said Sarah Muscroft, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Haiti (OCHA).
“With so many people still so vulnerable after the recent earthquake, a serious hurricane this year could be devastating. We are therefore planning for a worst-case scenario,” she added.
Contingency plans being designed include the dedication of 24-hour humanitarian rapid response teams in case of rain or hurricane-related incidents in sites where those who lost their homes as a result of the earthquake on January 12 have settled in the capital, Port-au-Prince, according to OCHA.
The rest of the country, where poverty is extreme and infrastructure poor, also remains acutely vulnerablse, especially areas still recovering from Hurricanes Fay, Gustav and Hanna which between them killed over 800 people in the space of a month in 2008. (CMC)
