Haiti situation report from ActAlliance

GENEVA, Switzerland – The situation continues to be desperate for the people affected by the earthquake in Haiti. Material aid is slowly reaching them but, due to the lack of data and weak government coordination, the organization and distribution of aid is still a challenge. Some incidents of fighting for aid have been registered but they are mostly due to lack of proper organization of the distribution.

The Government has declared the search and rescue phase over. Still people continue trying to find loved ones by scratching into the rubble with rudimentary tools. Otherwise, some normality is coming back to the country for the privileged ones unaffected by the earthquake. Gas stations and supermarkets are reopening and fuel and food are now available.

It is estimated that more than 130,000 people have moved from Port-au-Prince to the rural areas and provincial cities (some very vulnerable such as Gonaives) with the consequent negative impacts on the precarious economy in these areas. Fortunately, no reports of communicable disease outbreaks have been registered. The two big challenges now are to scale up the relief operation and the clean up of the rubble. The death toll is now at least 150,000 people.

For details on the activities of ACTAlliance partners, including Lutheran World Federation through which Canadian Lutheran World Relief is delivering relief supplies go to: http://www.act-intl.org/news.php?uid=810

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