Our team in Haiti today has begun water distribution for 25,000 people and we will provide jerry cans for water and hygiene kits for 2,000 families. We are distributing high-protein biscuits and mattresses.
Logistical constraints, such as damaged roads, limited fuel, curfews and insecurity, are hampering distributions. Tremendous numbers of people are turning up for distributions and, given their great need and desperation, the situation is high risk from a security standpoint.
The UN estimates at least 80,000 people are dead (government sources estimate up to 200,000); with 250,000 people injured and 3 million in need of assistance. People continue to leave Port-au-Prince for other towns, as resources and infrastructure are not available.
As reported yesterday, all of the CARE Port-au-Prince staff are accounted for, and Haitian colleagues have been arriving from other offices to help. Additional local staff is being hired. Colleagues with expertise in emergencies, shelter, water and sanitation, logistics, HR, security, and finance/contract management are en route to Haiti and will be arriving in the next couple of days. A travel manager is being positioned in Santo Domingo to facilitate travel in and out of Haiti.
We are in the process of acquiring and bringing in more supplies, such as jerry cans, tents, temporary warehouse structures, generators and high-energy biscuits from places like Dubai, Karachi and Nairobi. Constraints at the airport, damage to the port and a lack of cash in the affected areas have all complicated the situation. However, the port is expected to be operational in two days and the government plans to open 40 banks today. Western Union is waiving charges for remittances to Haiti, and T-Mobile is providing free text messaging between Haiti and the US through January. Communications systems are improving.
The CARE Haiti team has begun planning for the longer-term response; in the near term, this could include things like rebuilding homes and implementing a cash-for-work program for people to help clear debris.
Currently, CARE International members have raised $9.5 million ($7.4 million via CARE US).
(Editor’s note: Contributions can be sent to CARE USA.)
