OCHA SITUATION REPORT #3

TROPICAL STORM SANDY SITUATION REPORT NO. 03 (as of 30/10/2012)

This report is produced by OCHA Haiti in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It covers the period from 28 to 30/10/2012.

HIGHLIGHTS:

- Red Alert lifted;

- Damage assessments by GoH and humanitarian partners ongoing and findings are still being tallied;

- Casualties: 54 dead; 21 missing; 20 injured;

- 1,500 people left in 15 hurricane shelters (nationwide);

- GoH actors and their national and international partners continue to assist the affected population;

- Considerable damage to agriculture, with potential negative impact on food security;

- Increase in the number of cholera cases in affected areas (Sud, Sud-est, Ouest)

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Although the assessment of the impact of TS Sandy remains partial, the storm has caused 54 deaths, all of them in the Ouest and Southern departments.

Up to 18,277 homes were flooded, damaged or destroyed. Evacuees are gradually returning to their homes throughout the country. This has freed most of the school premises used as emergency shelters, thus enabling classes to resume.

TS Sandy brought heavy rains which caused severe flooding in the Ouest department and southern peninsula. Water levels in most of the rivers continue to recede to normal levels, but several areas remain inaccessible due to damaged bridges.

The Government of Haiti (GoH) and its humanitarian partners continue to carry out joint multi-sectorial assessments, including reconnaissance flights in order to have a general profile of the situation. In the Ouest department, the situation on two axes: Tremblay to Ganthier (Fond Verrettes) and Thomazeau to Croix-des- Bouquets, is of great concern with up to 330 families still in need of various emergency stocks.The Rivière Grise which runs strait through the capital burst its banks in those areas of Port-au-Prince.

HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE:

CAMP COORDINATION AND CAMP MANAGEMENT

Many people were temporarily displaced by TS Sandy. However, uncertainty remains as to their exact number. Some 50,000 tents and tarpaulins are made available by humanitarian partners for distribution.

- Sud: Distribution of sleeping bags, mattresses, hygiene kits, blankets, food rations, water treatment supplies to those in shelters in Les Cayes by Haitian Red Cross, IOM, World Vision, and DINEPA.  Nippes: Families were evacuated from the areas at risk of flooding in 7 communes. All of them were provided with water and sanitation supplies and food.

- Grand-Anse: MDM (Médecins du Monde) distributed 100 hygiene kits. The Red Cross supplied 145 mattresses.

- Artibonite: 234 mattresses, 117 hygiene kits were distributed by IOM and ACTED, in Grande Saline.

EDUCATION:

The Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training and UN partners continue to assess the state of school buildings. An initial assessment of damage has been conducted:

- West Leogane: all public and private schools in the city were flooded.

- Grande-Anse: 10 schools sustained significant damage.

- Sud: 14 schools are affected. The extent of damage is being assessed. The situation delays the full resumption of classes this week.

Needs:

The Ministry of Education has appealed for tents to accommodate students, pending repairs.

In Nippes department, Handicap International is providing tents to the Ecole nationale mixte de l’Anse à Veau, l’Ecole nationale de Grand Fond and l’Ecole communautaire de Laval.

FOOD SECURITY

The situation in at least 60 of the 140 communes in Haiti is considered serious by international partners. The food insecurity rate could be reaching 50%. Up to 2 million people are thought to be at risk of malnutrition as per the latest estimates.

The southern part of the country that had suffered crop and livestock losses with the passage of TS Isaac in August, is now suffering the consequences of TS Sandy. So far, the response to the impact of TS Sandy has been as follows:

- Sud: WFP is providing 5 tons of foodstuff to victims of TS Sandy. 700 families received food kits and water.

- Ouest: IOM distributed 2.7 tons of WFP-supplied High Energy Biscuits to 5,693 persons in temporary shelters in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area.

- Nippes: The Ministry of Social Affairs provided 200 women with food kits.

- Grand-Anse: 3 tons of High Energy Biscuits pre-positioned in Les Cayes.

- Artibonite: WFP distributed 0.69 tons of High Energy Biscuits to 1,723 persons in temporary shelters in Verettes, Grande Salines, Desdune and St. Michel de l’Attalaye.

- Venezuela has dispatched a ship and aircraft laden with food aid for Haiti

HEALTH

According to PAHO/WHO, there is an increase in cholera cases in the Sud (06 deaths) and Sud-est where 49 cases and 09 deaths were recorded. These cases were notified after the passage of the storm. The northern Departments were also hit by an increase in Cholera cases but they cannot yet be attributed to the passage of TS Sandy.

Cases of cholera in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area are being treated by PAHO/WHO and the Ministry of Public Health.

- Sud: Patients were evacuated from the Hopital HIC in Camp Perrin.

- Nippes: Two tents were donated to replace the CTC (Cholera Treatment Center) in Anse à Veau by Handicap International, while MSF is also treating cholera patients.

- Artibonite: Cholera treatment supplies were provided by the Ministry of Health.

WATER, SANITATION AND HYGIENE

- Ouest: 8 temporary shelters in metropolitan Port-au-Prince supplied with 18,000 gallons of potable water by DINEPA.

- Nippes: 50,000 aquatabs, 50 buckets and 15 hygiene kits were distributed in temporary shelters in Baradères. Temporary shelters in Petite Rivière, Anse à Veau and O’rouk also received 100,000 aquatabs, 15 hygiene kits and 50 buckets.

- Sud-est: 13 drums (250kg each) of High Test Hypochlorite (HTH) were distributed for chlorination of the water system and 32 cubic metres of potable water supplied to 6 shelters. This assistance has been realized by DINEPA.

- Grande-Anse: 150kg of HTH supplied to private water distributors, for water treatment in temporary shelters.

- Artibonite: Potable water, jerry cans (2 per family) were provided by IOM/MINUSTAH/ACTED to the affected in Grande Salines. WFP distributed 7,350 aquatabs.

Once the road to Baradères has been reopened, Handicap International will install a water treatment station.

LOGISTICS

WFP and IFRCRC conducted assessments. IFRCRC carried out 03 reconnaissance flights in the affected areas. In Sud-est and Grande-Anse, the road from Cayes to Jeremie is still cut (serious damages) at Roseau. In Ouest department, the road from Croix des Bouquets to Fond Verettes remains cut at Ganthier.

The Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Communication and UN partners have been working to restore traffic on most major roads in the various affected departments. General Coordination The GoH’s departmental emergency coordination centers remain active. OCHA as well as other partners continue to assist the COUN in facilitating coordination and compilation of data.
For further information, please contact:

George Ngwa - Chief, Communication Section, gnwaanuongong@un.org

Widlyn Dornevil - Public Information Officer, nornevil@un.org

Guillaume Shneiter - Reporting Officer, shneiterg@un.org  

OCHA humanitarian bulletins are available at http://haiti.humanitarianresponse.info, www.nocha.org , www.reliefweb.int