This document has been forwarded from the ReliefWeb site.

Sender: Pix Mahler (pix@...)

Source: ActionAid
Date: 04 Sep 2008

A major relief effort will be needed in Haiti after two tropical storms,
Gustav and Hanna, hit the Caribbean's
poorest nation in less than a week,
ActionAid says.

Raphael Yves Pierre, director of ActionAid
in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, said:
"The whole country is under water and Hanna
has devastated crops everywhere. A
coordinated response for immediate relief
is necessary now. But the government and
international community also need to get
serious about prevention so that damage on
this scale does not happen again."

Hurricane Gustav struck Haiti last Tuesday
(26 August), causing at least 50 deaths
before moving on to Jamaica, Cuba and the
US where it hit the coast close to New
Orleans.

Before the water from Gustav could drain
away, Haiti was unexpectedly hit by a
second storm which killed at least another
25 people. Tropical storm Hanna was moving
across the Atlantic towards the Bahamas and
Florida when, defying forecasts, it took a
sudden U-turn and advanced towards Haiti,
briefly reaching hurricane strength before
weakening again.

The second storm brought high winds and
heavy rain to northern parts of the country
on Monday night (1 September), flooding the
city of Gona�ves. Les Cayes, Jacmel and
other towns, villages and rural areas were
also flooded.

The government and aid agencies were unable
to begin assessing the damage on Tuesday
because the affected areas were completely
cut off. An attempt to use helicopters
belonging to the UN stabilisation mission
MINUSTAH was abandoned because of high
winds.

ActionAid has mobilised two assessment
teams which will travel to storm-hit areas
as soon as roads are passable again. In
2004, ActionAid helped in a massive clearup
operation in Gona�ves after Hurricane
Jeanne caused floods and mudslides in which
more than 3000 people died.

For more information contact Tony Durham on
+44 20 7561 7636, mobile +44 (0)7872 378251
or Anjali Kwatra, +44 20 7561 7633, mobile
+44 (0)7941 371357







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