Haiti Update: After the Hurricane

On Tuesday, October 4th, Hurricane Matthew – a Category 4 storm – slammed into Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere and one that is still struggling to recover from the devastating earthquake in 2010.

The most affected areas of Haiti are believed to be towns in the south of the island, such as Grand-Anse, and towns in the east such as Les Cayes and Jeremie. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), over half of Haiti’s 10 million people are estimated to have been impacted by Hurricane Matthew. At least 350,000 Haitians are in need of post-hurricane emergency assistance with 14,350 people currently displaced. The current death toll in Haiti is 6 people, however this is expected to increase in the following days. The threat of cholera, already on the rise in 2016, is a particular concern. It is expected that heavy flooding will exacerbate the threat of epidemic diseases.

Doctors of the World/Médecins du Monde is deploying an emergency team of 3-5 personnel, along with a minimum of 3 tons of medical and emergency supplies. Although Haiti’s main international in Port-au-Prince is expected to remain closed until Friday, we plan to have our emergency team on the ground as soon as the airport reopens.

The MdM International Network has been working in Haiti since 1989. We currently have 47 staff members on the ground who have primarily focused on cholera prevention and sexual and reproductive health. Our in-country teams are beginning to assess the extent of the damage and the emergency needs of communities today.