USAID-DCHA Haiti Hurricane Fact Sheet #1 FY2011

A 22-member USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) was coordinating U.S. Government hurricane preparedness and response activities in Haiti as of November 6. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimated that the storm could affect 100,000 families or 500,000 individuals. In anticipation of Hurricane Tomas, USAID/OFDA pre-positioned commodities in Haiti, including 10-liter water containers, blankets, hygiene kits, and kitchen sets, to assist approximately 100,000 people. On November 3 and 4, additional commodities were transported from a warehouse in Miami, Florida, to Les Cayes and Port-au-Prince to assist an additional 25,000 individuals, for a total of 125,000 people. USAID/OFDA pre-positioned commodities to meet immediate needs, with further commodities available in the USAID/OFDA warehouse in Miami, Florida, to meet additional needs. Assessment teams working in Grand Anse have reported damage to houses, livestock, and crops due to high winds. Preliminary assessments identified food, safe drinking water, and hygiene kits as immediate humanitarian needs. USAID/OFDA has authorized the release of 3,000 kitchen sets, 5,500 hygiene kits, 8,500 water containers, 8,500 blankets, and 2,000 plastic sheets to assist approximately 27,500 people in Grand Anse and South departments of southwestern Haiti. USAID/OFDA grantee the International Organization for Migration (IOM) will distribute the commodities based upon ongoing needs assessments. The worst reported flooding to date has occurred in Léogâne, West Department, where approximately 20,000 reside in affected areas. USAID/DART staff are working to gain access to the town, where food and safe drinking water are identified as priority needs in the coming days. The road between Jérémie and Les Cayes, South Department, was impassible as of the morning of November 6, and humanitarian agencies were seeking alternative methods of transport to access Jérémie.