Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login

FROM THE FIELD

Haitians rebuild but remain vulnerable to natural disasters
21 Oct 2008 15:43:00 GMT
 Source: Caritas - Canada (Development and Peace)
Eleonore Fournier-Tombs

Website: Website: http://www.devp.org

ctasca logo
Flooding in Haiti after Hanna Tropical Storm
Previous | Next
Flooding in Haiti after Hanna Tropical Storm
AGERCA/Development and Peace

Background

•  Food and hunger

•  Disaster risk reduction

•  Haiti floods

•  South East Asia Monsoon

•  Hurricanes and cyclones

MORE >>
Over 40 days after four tropical storms hit Haiti in quick succession, the country is struggling to get back on its feet. In early September, high winds and accompanying flooding led to 700 deaths and left 800,000 in need of emergency assistance, according to the latest estimates.

In response to the crisis, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE has committed $ 270,000 to three projects in the badly affected Gonaives region and in other areas. The projects, implemented through DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE partners Papaye Peasants' Movement, Famn Deside and Caritas Haiti, will help at least 35,000 Haitians. They will concentrate on emergency aid distribution as well as on long-term reconstruction, particularly in order to boost agricultural production.

During the storms, 60-80% of the country's farm crops were destroyed, leading to fears of wide-spread famine in the coming months. Haiti is particularly vulnerable to tropical storms because of high levels of poverty, deforestation and reliance on the agricultural sector.

"Haitians are dealing with the situation as best they can, but the country needs more international support," warns Anne Catherine Kennedy, Programme Officer for Haiti at DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE.

"After Hurricane Jeanne in 2004, nothing was done to solve the country's environmental crisis, and four years later, the same thing is happening again. If the international community does nothing to address Haiti's vulnerability to natural disasters, this situation will keep repeating itself."

Those wishing to contribute to emergency relief and reconstruction in Haiti are invited to call toll free at: 1 888 664-3387 or visit DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE's website at: www.devp.org. Cheques labelled "Haiti" can be sent to 1425 René Lévesque O. 3rd floor, Montreal, Quebec, H3G 1T7.

-30-

DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE's program officer for Haiti is available for interviews in English and in French.

Media Contact: Eleonore Fournier-Tombs 514 257-8711 ext. 307 eleonore.fournier@devp.org


[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

Email this article       Send comments

Topics

•  Climate change

•  Disaster risk reduction

•  Floods

•  Food and hunger

•  Hurricanes and cyclones

MORE >>

Emergencies

•  Haiti floods

MORE >>

Members

•  Caritas - Canada (Development and Peace)

MORE >>

NGO latest

•  Haitians rebuild but remain vulnerable to natural disasters
Caritas - Canada

•  Charity urges aid workers to be prepared for security threats
RedR

•  MSF calls upon the President of Niger to lift the ban on its activities immediately
MSF International

•  WER steps up aid to Burundi as global economic crisis plunges the world's poorest deeper into poverty
WER - UK

•  International Federation wants humanitarians and journalists to work harder to publicize African success stories
IFRC - Switzerland

MORE >>

Latest news

•  DRC-UGANDA: Congolese refugees flee to Uganda

•  Navy commander admits: no rules on Somalia pirates

•  Blog: 36 countries need external assistance - FAO

•  AU says food crisis could defeat Millennium Goals

•  SYRIA: Some Iraqis return; thousands more register for food aid

MORE >>

[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

Background information

Briefings
Haiti floods - [Who works where]

Topics
Climate change Disaster risk reduction Floods Food and hunger Hurricanes and cyclones
Facts & figures
Haiti

Related articles

Breaking stories
 DRC-UGANDA: Congolese refugees flee to Uganda (1 minute ago)

Navy commander admits: no rules on Somalia pirates (1 minute ago)

AlertNet insight
 Annan says financial crisis must not undermine action on hunger (1 minute ago)

Aid agency news feed
 Haitians rebuild but remain vulnerable to natural disasters (1 minute ago)

Blogs
 CLIMATE CHANGE BLOG: Talking our planet into crisis (1 minute ago)

Maps
 Tropical storm Three (1 minute ago)


Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-10-21T105203Z_01_JER03_RTRIDSP_2_PALESTINIAN_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/JER03.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-10-21T105104Z_01_JER002_RTRIDSP_2_PALESTINIANS-ISRAEL_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/JER002.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-10-21T081936Z_01_DBG202_RTRIDSP_2_CHINA-GREENHOUSE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/DBG202.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-10-21T081428Z_01_DBG201_RTRIDSP_2_CHINA-GREENHOUSE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/DBG201.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-10-21T081233Z_01_DBG200_RTRIDSP_2_CHINA-GREENHOUSE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/DBG200.htm

A Palestinian police officer pours olives out of a bucket as he helps farmers to pick olives during the harvest season in the village of Abu Qash, near Ramallah October 21, ...


More pictures | Galleries
Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

Last updated:Tue Oct 21 15:57:06 2008