NEW YORK – The United Nations warned of a likely third humanitarian crisis to hit Haiti this year and affect up to half a million Haitians as tropical storm Tomas approached and appealed for more emergency supplies and equipment.
“The approaching storm may be the third humanitarian crisis that Haiti faces this year, coming amid ongoing efforts to assist up to a million people left homeless by the earthquake that devastated the country in January, and a cholera outbreak that erupted last month,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.
Aid workers fear the worst if Tomas strikes Haiti, where hundreds of thousands of people have only rudimentary shelter nearly tenmonths after the January 12 earthquake, and a cholera epidemic has killed more than 330 and hospitalised nearly 5 000.
“The possible path of the storm keeps changing, but the latest update suggests a high probability of severe flooding, especially in coastal areas, but also throughout the country. Haitian authorities have been encouraging residents of low-lying coastal areas and camps to seek alternative shelter, where possible, with families and friends settled in safer places,” OCHA said.
The storm’s rainbands had already reached southeastern Haiti. At 2 p.m. the storm was centred about 475 kilometres (295 miles) west-southwest of the Haitian capital, and was moving toward the island at 11 kilometres per hour (seven mph), the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
The UN’s agencies and its stabilization mission in Haiti, MINUSTAH, have been working with the Government of Haiti and humanitarian partners to put additional emergency supplies and equipment, including trucks, water and sanitation materials, shelter, food and non-food items in the areas most likely to be hit by the storm.
“Even with the existing pre-positioned stocks, the potential magnitude of this disaster urgently calls for additional emergency supplies and equipment,” said Nigel Fisher, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Haiti.
“We are concerned that severe flooding will make a difficult situation in Haiti even more difficult,” Fisher added. “Cholera is spread mainly through contaminated water
– so more water poses more risks. The poor sanitary conditions in many parts of the country combined with flooding and polluted waters are very likely to accelerate the infection rate,” he said.
The UN listed among its needs reinforced emergency shelter kits for 20,000 families, 80,000 family hygiene kits, 5,000 family water kits, 5 million sachets of oral rehydration salts, water tankers, water treatment units and field tents to serve as emergency cholera treatment centres.
Logistics equipment and radios to support ongoing public information about cholera and hurricane alerts were also requested, the UN said.
A public information campaign has been launched to help Haitians prepare, with alerts being sent out to earthquake survivors in camps via cell phone text messages and radio. Tarpaulins and ropes were being used to help people in camps secure their shelters.
The UN humanitarian coordinator said the country, the poorest in the western hemisphere, had been pulled back into “emergency mode”, diverting attention from social and economic recovery efforts.
“We are calling on the international community to help us prepare as best as we can,” he said. (CMC)
