Getting ready for rapid assessments and response in the affected communities
PORT-AU-PRINCE (August 3, 2011) –Tropical storm named EMILY is moving toward West and significant rain is expected to be poured over the entire Island of Hispaniola. At about 2 PM, the center was located at about 190 Km South Southeast of Santo Domingo. EMILY could cross over Haiti by late Wednesday and continue toward the northwest. EMILY looks a little disorganised and may not strengthen before hitting Haiti’s coast and hills. Maximum sustained winds are around 85Km/h and the pressure at the center is 1006 millibars. 100 to 125 millimeters of rain is expected over the country in the next 48 hours in case EMILY maintains its trend.
Working with national and international partners, local authorities and the humanitarian community, CARE is monitoring the progress of the storm. “We are getting ourselves ready to conduct rapid assessments so we can respond efficiently to high wind and flooding damage as well as to the risk of cholera spikes” says François Desruisseaux, Director of CARE Haiti Disaster Response Program.
According to the Haitian President, Joseph Michel Martelly, 680,000 people are still living in 1,061 camps in temporary structures that are highly vulnerable to the elements and situated in flood-prone areas. Haiti’s Civil Protection Directorate (DPC) estimates approximately 300,000 people across the country could be negatively affected by the destruction brought by this tropical storm.
“We are mobilizing people who can distribute non-food items pre-positioned by the international humanitarian community such as UNICEF and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM)”, explains Desruisseaux. “CARE intends to focus its response on ensuring access to potable water, sanitation and hygiene initiatives, namely through the distribution of hygiene kits as well as by conducting community awareness sessions and sensitization, important for the prevention of cholera outbreaks”.
CARE began working in Haiti in 1954, providing relief assistance to people affected by Hurricane Hazel. In the years that followed, CARE began to shift its focus towards more long-term development, establishing projects in maternal and child nutrition, community development, education and health for preschool children, primary health care, water and sanitation, agriculture, income generating activities, small enterprise development, and emergency response. In all its activities, CARE aims to serve the poorest and most marginalized populations, which include women and youth. CARE Haiti focuses its activities on some of the most vulnerable regions including the Grande Anse, Artibonite, Nippes and Northwest departments.
