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HAITI: RISING AFTER THE STORM

October 9^th, 2016

Haiti was hit by a category 4 hurricane this past Tuesday, 4 October 2016.

UNDP is on the ground.

Small towns along the western part of Haiti suffered severe damage from heavy winds and rains. © UNICEF/UN/ Logan Abassi, UN-MINUSTAH

Pinchinat Maxau is the mayor of Grand-Goâve. Though not located in the most affected departments of Sud and Grand’Anse, his community of 136,000 residents has been hit hard by Hurricane Matthew, a category 4 storm that made landfall in Haiti on 4 October.

Pinchinat Maxau, the mayor of Grand-Goâve. © UNDP Haiti/ Guillaume Joachin

Seven people have lost their lives in his community and more than 500 houses have been destroyed or damaged by strong winds and uprooted trees. Nationwide more than 300 people have died and more than 25,000 houses are damaged.

“Lives were saved thanks to early warning and disaster risk education through the national Civil Protection Agency,” the mayor said. “People in areas that were at risk evacuated on time, knowing where it was safe to take shelter.”

Aerial view of Jeremie. Hurricane Matthew passed over Haiti with heavy rains and winds. © Logan Abassi UN/MINUSTAH/UNICEF

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has supported the national Civil Protection Department for over 15 years, including through organizing large-scale simulation exercises, outreach programmes and coordinating disaster preparedness plans.

Workers from the mayor's office in Kenscoff, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, remove fallen trees. Photo Logan Abassi UN/MINUSTAH/UNICEF

Brazilian peacekeepers with the UN Force Commander patrol along Cite Soleil and Downtown Port au Prince. © Igor Rugwiza UN/MINUSTAH/UNICEF

Small towns along the western part of Haiti suffered severe damage and storm surge in the coastal areas. © Logan Abassi UN/MINUSTAH/UN

People walk along a street in downtown Jeremie, Haiti on 6 October 2016. © Logan Abassi UN/MINUSTAH/UNICEF

Hurricane Matthew passed over Haiti on Tuesday, 4 October 2016 with heavy rains and winds. © Logan Abassi UN/MINUSTAH/UNICEF

However, the hurricane destroyed the main source of income of this and many other communities: 90 percent of all banana trees were uprooted or flooded.

The effects of the category 4 storm: Strong winds and rains flattened the landscape, uprooting trees. © Logan Abassi UN/MINUSTAH/UNICEF

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Cars crossing the former Pont Digue in Petit-Goâve.© Igor Rugwiza - UN/MINUSTAH

Hurricane Matthew passed over Haiti with heavy rains and winds. © Logan Abassi UN/MINUSTAH/UNICEF

Families lost their livelihoods, and the community is facing severe food insecurity and risks falling into extreme poverty over the months to come.

UNDP will start a pilot cash-for-work programme in Grand-Goâve to provide short-term employment to hurricane affected community members. Participants of the programme will clear debris, unblock roads, rebuild houses and recycle fallen trees.

A family in a school in Arcahaie that now serves as temporary shelter for displaced families. © UNICEF/Moreno Gonzalez

Seven-month-old Kelly sleeps close to his father, Francois Louissaint, in a temporary shelter. © UNICEF/Moreno Gonzalez

The aim is to revive the local economy by rehabilitating markets and reactivating small and micro enterprises in the agricultural sector, such as the production and selling of “Dous Makos”, a popular Haitian dessert. As part of the programme, farmers will also receive seeds for early harvest vegetables to enhance the long-term food security of the community and will get support for the restoration of field irrigation systems.

Clean up continues in Jeremie, Haiti.© Logan Abassi UN/MINUSTAH/UNICEF

In the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, a woman carries belongings rescued from the rubble. © Logan Abassi UN/MINUSTAH/UNICEF

The cities of Les Cayes and Jeremie received the full force of the storm, sustaining wind and water damage. ©Logan Abassi UN/MINUSTAH/UNICEF

UNDP will roll out this programme to other communities in the most affected areas of Haiti, aiming to improve the lives of at least one million people in the aftermath of the disaster.

Residents of Jeremie leave their rescued belongings out to dry. © Logan Abassi UN/MINUSTAH/UNICEF

UNDP has worked in Haiti for over 40 years and will draw on its vast experience in crisis situations to help Haiti recover now, sustain hard-won development gains and achieve greater progress in the long term. UNDP has already committed US$500,000 and is focused on supporting emergency livelihoods, debris management and community infrastructure, plus business recovery and national recovery planning.

Children playing amid the rumble. Resilience. © Logan Abassi UN/MINUSTAH/UNICEF

A man helps a woman caught in a strong current. © Logan Abassi UN/MINUSTAH/UNICEF

Residents in Jeremie assess the damages to their homes. © Logan Abassi UN/MINUSTAH/UNICEF

Renelson, 6, with his broken radio inside his home, which was destroyed by Hurricane Matthew. © UNICEF/Moreno Gonzalez

Help Haiti get back on its feet.

To donate, visit UNDP.org/helpHaiti

An aerial view of the aftermath. In the south, 80 to 100 percent of buildings have been damaged or destroyed. © Igor Rugwiza UN/MINUSTAH

Footnotes

Text: Silke von Brockhausen/UNDP First Responder Photos: © UNDP Haiti/ Guillaume Joachin and © Photographers: Logan Abassi, Igor Rugwiza and Moreno Gonzalez for UN/MINUSTAH/UNICEF

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FootNotes

Text: Silke von Brockhausen/UNDP First Responder Photos: © UNDP Haiti/ Guillaume Joachin and © Photographers: Logan Abassi, Igor Rugwiza and Moreno Gonzalez for UN/MINUSTAH/UNICEF