OCHA SITREP #1 - FLOODING

HAITI - FLOODING - SITUATION REPORT NO. 1 - 7 JUNE 2011

This report is produced by OCHA in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It was issued by OCHA Haiti field office. It covers the period from the night of the 6 to 7 June. The next report will be issued on or around 8 June.

I. HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES

• 20 deaths, 6 injured and 6 missing persons have been reported as a result of flooding and landslides following severe rain on the night of 6 to 7 June

• The West, including Port-au-Prince, and Nippes departments affected

• Distribution of tents and tarpaulins have started

II. SITUATION OVERVIEW

On the evening of 6 June, at approximately 7:30 pm (Haiti local time), severe heavy rains hit Port-au-Prince metropolitan area and other areas of the West and Nippes departments. A total of 20 deaths, 6 injured and 6 missing persons have been reported as a result of flooding and landslides.

Heavy rains are expected to resume tonight and last for three days. An orange alert has been issued for the entire country. Seven of the ten departments -South, Nippes, Grande-Anse, Artibonite, North-West, North, North-East - are most likely to be affected.

Under the leadership of the Département de la protection civile (DPC), the Centre d’opération d’urgence départementale (COUD) for the West department was activated last night in the presence of President Michel Martelly who visited affected areas of the capital city Port-au-Prince that evening. Assessments of the extent of the damage and needs have yet to be finalized.

III. HUMANITARIAN NEEDS AND RESPONSE

EMERGENCY SHELTER/NFI

Needs: According to a joint assessment of the Département de la protection civile (DPC)/International Organisation for Migration (OIM), 32 camps have been flooded out of total 187 camps assessed as of 2 pm today. A total of 470 families in Cité Soleil, a sprawling slum on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, have been affected, according to the DPC

Response: Distributions of tents and tarpaulins have started in affected camps.

Gaps & Constraints: Prepositioning of tents and tarpaulins and identification of community shelters are urgently needed in affected areas.

HEALTH

Needs: Localized outbreaks of cholera have been reported due to increased water contamination factor.

Response: Bed capacities in Port-au-Prince have been scaled up to 2,400 in light of further cholera outbreaks. No Cholera Treatment Centers (CTCs) and Cholera Treatment Units (CTUs) have been affected, according to the Health Cluster. Emergency medical kits are available to assist 120,000 people per week.

Trauma kits have been prepositioned in Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. Patients in Les Cayes Hospital in the South department were evacuated to other buildings.

Gaps & Constraints: CTCs and CTUs have almost reached full capacity in the South department since heavy rain and flooding began on 2 June.

WATER SANITATION HYGIENE

Needs: Latrines have been reported to overflow in some camps

Response: Repair of latrines and drainage work have started in Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. Six trucks with WASH items are on standby, reports the WASH Cluster. The Direction de l’eau et de l’assainissement (DINEPA) is also on standby for further need assessments.

Gaps & Constraints: Affected areas in the Nippes department are in need of drinking water, functioning latrines, NFIs and hygiene kits.

LOGISTICS

Response: MINUSTAH has put helicopters on stand-by in case aerial evaluations are needed, as well as military teams and engineering equipment, should evacuation or engineering works be required. A MINUSTAH assessment flight to Les Cayes, Tiburon, Les Anglais and Maniche is scheduled on 8 June.

Gaps & Constraints: Rivers in Grande Anse, Nippes, West, South, South-East have over flown their banks. The road between Port-à –Piment and the tip of the South department is flooded.

COMMUNICATION

Response: The Département de la protection civile (DPC), with the support of IOM and the International Federation of the Red Cross, launched a nationwide awareness campaign with the dissemination of messages in Créole on risk reduction. SMS messages are being sent via mobile phone networks and radio stations across the country.

VI. Contact

Head of OCHA Haiti: Philippe Verstraeten; Email: verstraeten@un.org

Spokesperson/ Public Information Officer: Emmanuelle Schneider;
Email : schneider1@un.org

Reporting Officer: Abdourahmane Diallo; Email: diallo57un.org /ocha.haiti@gmail.com ,

For more information on the response in Haiti, please visit:
http://haiti.humanitarianresponse.info

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, (OCHA), Boulevard Toussaint Louverture
et Clercine 18, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.