Responding to Hurricane Matthew: What We Are Doing Now
There is never a good time for disaster to strike.
But, in a country like Haiti, where memories of natural disasters like the 2010 earthquake still linger, we know the best protection against future disasters is preparation and the ability to act quickly.
Hurricane Matthew could not be diverted, but USAID and partners were ready to help when the storm hit. USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance activated a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) with staff in Haiti, Jamaica and the Bahamas on Oct. 3 in advance of Hurricane Matthew’s arrival.
This elite team of disaster experts, which currently comprises of approximately 40 people, is conducting disaster assessments and coordinating response activities with the governments of the affected countries and humanitarian organizations on the ground.
Mobilizing support as it’s needed
As the largest storm to impact the Caribbean since 2007, Hurricane Matthew caused tremendous devastation in Haiti. The number of dead reached into the hundreds by Friday, with the potential to increase as humanitarian workers reach the hardest hit areas of the country that became isolated when bridges and roads crumbled.
Early reports from the U.S. Embassy in Port-Au-Prince estimate that 350,000 people are in need of assistance in Haiti.
Approximately 61,500 have been displaced to temporary shelters, and about 80 percent of homes in the hardest hit area of southwest Haiti are damaged, according to the Haitian Government. In an aerial survey of the Sud Department, experts spotted landslides, mudflows and storm surges.
Food, safe drinking water, critical health care and basic household necessities are urgently needed as communities begin to get back on their feet after Hurricane Matthew.
With an increased risk for water contamination due to flooding and large-scale displacement, safe drinking water, water purification tablets, hygiene kits and soap will be particularly important to preventing cholera. To avert an outbreak of cholera, the USAID DART will closely monitor for new cases in the coming days and weeks.
To expedite aid to those in need, USAID mobilized $1.5 million for immediate humanitarian relief efforts. Approximately $1 million of this funding will support food vouchers, food rations, cash transfers, meals at evacuation shelters and other food assistance in Haiti. The remaining $500,000 will support logistics and distribution of critical relief supplies to affected communities.
Extensive wind and flood damage along the southwestern peninsula decimated agricultural crops; destroyed roads, bridges and homes; and wiped out communications in many hard hit areas.
Potential flash flooding and landslides remain a dangerous threat, and could continue to make it difficult for humanitarian support to reach those recovering from the storm in Haiti.
That’s why USAID also requested logistical and airlift support from the U.S. Department of Defense. The U.S. Southern Command has mobilized more than 350 Department of Defense personnel and nine helicopters to Haiti to support the USAID DART-led efforts.
On Thursday, USAID’s DART team leader and U.S. military leadership conducted an extensive aerial assessment of the two most storm-affected regions areas aboard a U.S. Coast Guard aircraft.
With the support of the U.S. military, USAID will be able to deliver critical supplies and humanitarian personnel to difficult to reach areas impacted by the storm. This includes airlifting more than 480 metric tons of relief supplies to Haiti aboard five cargo planes from USAID’s warehouses in Miami, Florida.; Pisa, Italy; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The cargo includes enough blankets, hygiene kits, kitchen sets and heavy duty plastic sheeting for emergency shelter to help an estimated 100,000 people.
While it is too early to measure the full impact of Hurricane Matthew and the residual effects, efforts to support the Government of Haiti and partners on the ground is a top priority for USAID.
For more information on USAID’s response to Hurricane Matthew and updates on our efforts follow @USAID and @theOFDA on Twitter and visit usaid.gov/Matthew.
For information on how you can help those affected by the hurricane in Haiti, please visit http://www.cidi.org/.
