Haiti – Earthquake Fact Sheet #8, August 26, FY2021

August 26, 2021 

Administrator Power visits affected communities in southwestern Haiti, announcing $32 million in humanitarian assistance in response to the earthquake.

JTF-Haiti—including the USCG—conducts 413 missions, assisting nearly 460 people and transporting approximately 206,000 pounds of relief commodities to affected areas.

The UN releases a Flash Appeal for Haiti, requesting more than $187 million to provide humanitarian assistance to approximately 500,000 earthquake-affected people.

DART USAR experts demobilize and return to the United States, as the DART transitions from rescue to recovery efforts and scales up humanitarian assistance operations.

Key Developments

Administrator Power Visits Affected Communities, Announces $32 Million in Humanitarian Funding

The August 14 earthquake in Haiti had resulted in at least 2,207 deaths and injured approximately 12,270 people, with an additional 320 people still missing, as of August 26, according to the Government of Haiti (GoH). The earthquake also damaged or destroyed at least 59 health facilities and nearly 130,000 houses in Grand’Anse, Nippes, and Sud departments. The UN estimates that 650,000 people require urgent humanitarian assistance due to the earthquake, which exacerbated existing needs resulting from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, escalated insecurity, and Haiti’s ongoing food security and political crises.

On August 26, USAID Administrator Samantha Power traveled to Haiti in the wake of the earthquake. Accompanied by Assistant to the Administrator for USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA) Sarah Charles, Administrator Power met with earthquake-affected communities, first responders, USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) members, and USAID/BHA partners; observed humanitarian activities in affected communities; and coordinated with Joint Task Force (JTF)-Haiti and GoH officials on U.S. Government (USG) response operations. During the visit, Administrator Power conducted an aerial assessment of earthquake-related damage and traveled to Sud’s Maniche commune to meet with affected populations and USAID/BHA partner UN World Food Program (WFP) staff, who recently delivered emergency food assistance to more than 5,000 people in the community. Administrator Power also met with Prime Minister of Haiti Ariel Henry to discuss the scale-up of USG relief efforts and continued collaboration with the GoH on humanitarian assistance operations.

In addition, Administrator Power announced $32 million in USG humanitarian assistance for earthquake-affected communities in Haiti. The funding will support USAID/BHA partners to provide life-saving interventions, including emergency food, health, logistics, shelter, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) support to households in southwestern Haiti. USAID/BHA will also support partners to implement urgent protection programs—including child protection, gender-based violence prevention and response, and psychosocial support services—to respond to the increased protection risks women, girls, and other acutely vulnerable individuals face in affected areas.

JTF-Haiti Completes 413 Missions, Transports 206,000 Pounds of Relief Commodities to Southwestern Haiti

In coordination with the DART, JTF-Haiti—including U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) personnel—had completed 413 missions, assisting nearly 460 people and transporting approximately 206,000 pounds of emergency relief commodities to affected areas, as of August 25. On August 24 and 25, JTF-Haiti transported four metric tons (MT) of emergency food assistance each to Grande’Anse’s Bonbon commune, Nippes’ Anse-à-Veau and Baradères communes, and Sud’s Port-Salut commune for one non-governmental organization (NGO). JTF-Haiti also transported emergency relief commodities—including approximately 8,100 pounds of shelter items for the GoH Directorate General of Civil Protection (DGPC) and medical tents and supplies for one hospital—from Haiti’s capital city of Port-au-Prince to Sud during the period. Furthermore, on August 25, JTF-Haiti transported four Americas Support Team (AST) members from the Fairfax Country Fire and Rescue Department and UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) staff from Port-au-Prince to Sud’s Les Cayes commune to establish a second On-Site Operations Coordination Center to support ongoing relief operations in the area.

UN Requests $187 Million to Assist 500,000 Earthquake-Affected People

On August 25, the UN launched a Flash Appeal in coordination with the GoH in response to the earthquake, requesting more than $187 million to provide emergency assistance to approximately 500,000 earthquake-affected people in Haiti through February 2022. The UN estimates that the earthquake affected approximately 800,000 individuals in southwestern Haiti and generated or exacerbated humanitarian needs for an estimated 650,000 people, approximately 40 percent of the 1.6 million people residing in Grand’Anse, Nippes, and Sud. In addition, the appeal notes that the 2021 Haiti Humanitarian Needs Overview identified 610,000 people in the three departments who already faced acute humanitarian needs, underscoring the importance of robust relief operations to support communities recovering from successive crises in the country.

Through the appeal, the UN and partners aim to provide critical humanitarian assistance in the coming months, including life-saving food, health, livelihood, protection, shelter, and WASH support. Priority interventions include WASH support for approximately 500,000 people, such as providing hygiene kits and safe drinking water; shelter support for approximately 392,00 people, including distributing household items and shelter materials; and health support for approximately 225,000 people, such as providing essential health care services and medical supplies to health facilities in affected areas. Moreover, the appeal targets approximately 160,000 people for emergency food assistance to address food insecurity, as well as protection support for approximately 440,000 people facing heightened protection risks, in southwestern Haiti.

DART USAR Experts Demobilize Following Search-and-Rescue Efforts, as DART Continues to Scale Up Humanitarian Assistance

On August 25, the urban search-and-rescue (USAR) members of the DART demobilized and returned to the United States following the completion of rescue operations, as the 33 remaining DART members continue to scale up humanitarian assistance for affected communities. Following their arrival in Haiti on August 15, DART USAR teams from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue reached communities in 15 communes with search and rescue operations and assessments. Efforts included assessments of damage to buildings and infrastructure—including a dam, houses, health facilities, and religious sites—enabling hospitals to resume operations and populations to feel safe as aftershocks continued in southwestern Haiti. Four additional personnel from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue remain in Haiti as part of the AST, bolstering humanitarian coordination, information management, and assessment (HCIMA) operations in support of UNDAC staff. Meanwhile, the DART continues to lead USG earthquake response efforts in Haiti, expanding relief operations by air, land, and sea to ensure humanitarian assistance reaches those in need.

NATIONAL, INTERNATIONAL, AND U.S. GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

URBAN SEARCH-AND-RESCUE

Following the earthquake, the GoH requested international assistance for USAR support. A USAR team from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, including 65 search-and-rescue personnel and four canines, subsequently deployed alongside DART members, arriving in Haiti on August 15. The USAR team traveled with 52,000 pounds of specialized tools and medical equipment, with additional supplies arriving on August 17.

USAID/BHA USAR teams consist of 19 functional positions, staffed by experienced emergency managers, construction riggers, hazardous materials technicians, licensed engineers and emergency medicine physicians, logisticians, paramedics, planners, search-and-rescue specialists, and search-and-rescue dogs with handlers. USAR teams perform life-saving technical activities, including specialized search-and-rescue operations to recover individuals trapped in damaged or destroyed buildings.

On August 25, DART USAR staff demobilized and returned to the United States following the completion of rescue efforts in Haiti, while 33 DART staff remained in country to continue scaling up humanitarian assistance for affected communities. DART USAR experts reached communities in 15 communes while in Haiti, including Grand’Anse’s Beaumont, Corail, Dame Marie, Jérémie, Pestel, and Roseaux; Nippes’s Anse-à-Veau, Baradères, and Petit-Trou-de-Nippes; and Sud’s Camp-Perrin, Île-à-Vache, Les Cayes, Maniche, Port-à-Piment, and Saint-Louis-du-Sud.

On August 14, the GoH declared a one-month state of emergency in Haiti due to the earthquake and activated DGPC personnel, mobilizing search-and-rescue brigades to earthquake-affected areas. The GoH also activated the National Emergency Operations Center to coordinate assessment and response activities. Meanwhile, several governments across the Latin America and Caribbean region mobilized personnel and supplies to support USAR operations, while ISAR Germany and BRH Bundesverband Rettungshunde also deployed teams—including doctors and experts in disaster assistance, field medicine, and USAR—to Haiti.

LOGISTICS SUPPORT

On August 16, USCG helicopters deployed to Haiti and began transporting DART and USAR personnel to assist assessment and response activities. In addition, USAID requested the unique capabilities of DoD’s U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) to support USAID’s response efforts with air transport of relief commodities, staff, and USAR team members within Haiti, as well as assessment efforts in earthquake-affected areas.

USSOUTHCOM deployed numerous aircraft to support humanitarian operations and is providing aerial imagery to support damage assessments. Meanwhile, USAID/BHA is supporting a WFP barge service to facilitate additional humanitarian transport between Port-au-Prince and coastal areas of Grand’Anse and Nippes, as well as the operation of WFP-led convoys by road from Port-au-Prince to affected areas.

On August 14, in response to a GoH request, the Government of the Dominican Republic (GoDR) provided a fixed-wing aircraft and two helicopters to support logistics and transportation efforts, including medical evacuations. Furthermore, the Government of the United Kingdom has deployed the UK Royal Fleet Auxiliary Wave Knight off the coast of Haiti to support response efforts.

HCIMA

USAID/BHA is providing logistics support in heavily-affected communities in Grand’Anse, Nippes, and Sud. In addition, four members of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department have deployed as part of the AST and continue to provide technical support to UNDAC personnel, assisting with HCIMA efforts. The AST is a module supported through USAID/BHA to assist with disaster response operations and coordination efforts between the UN, local emergency management agencies, and other relief actors, including donor governments and NGOs. As of August 26, the AST is supporting a 10-member UNDAC team in facilitating coordination and information management in concert with the GoH DGPC and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

RELIEF COMMODITIES, SHELTER, AND WASH

USAID/BHA funds the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to maintain pre-positioned emergency relief supplies—sufficient to support nearly 50,000 individuals—in Haiti for distribution in response to sudden-onset disasters, such as earthquakes and other shocks. IOM had dispatched 5,000 hygiene kits, 2,000 jerry cans, 2,500 plastic sheets, 2,400 shelter repair kits, and 2,500 blankets for onward distribution to affected communities as of August 18. Separately, a USAID/BHA-funded Global WASH Sector Field Support Team Coordinator arrived in Haiti on August 19 to support coordination of the WASH response through national-level platforms, and USAID/BHA has also activated a DART shelter advisor to support the provision of shelter assistance in affected areas.

Regional governments have also mobilized shipments of relief commodities to support response efforts in Haiti. On August 16, the Government of Chile dispatched a flight to Haiti carrying 16 MT of food commodities and medical and WASH supplies. Additionally, the Government of Mexico dispatched two military aircraft carrying 60 personnel with specialized USAR and medical skills, in addition to approximately 20 MT of relief commodities, including medical supplies, food assistance, and USAR equipment.

On August 26, the UN launched a Flash Appeal in response to the Haiti earthquake, requesting more than $187 million to provide humanitarian assistance to approximately 500,000 people in southwestern Haiti. In addition, the UN allocated $8 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund on August 15 to support the provision of relief items and health care services, safe drinking water, and WASH assistance to affected households.

FOOD SECURITY

As of August 26, USAID/BHA had released more than 830 MT of food—including beans, rice, and vegetable oil—from its contingency stock managed by WFP, sufficient to meet the monthly food needs of approximately 62,000 people. In addition to conducting food distributions in affected areas, WFP is providing daily meals to several thousand people injured by the earthquake during their hospitalization. WFP plans to further scale up food assistance operations to reach an additional 62,000 people in affected areas in the coming months, bringing the UN agency’s target caseload in southwestern Haiti to approximately 200,000 people.

HEALTH

On August 15, the USCG deployed two helicopters with medical staff and supplies to Haiti. Alongside supporting USAR and logistics efforts, the helicopters also transported injured patients from affected areas to Port-au-Prince. As of August 25, the USCG had flown 244 sorties, performed medical evacuations for 375 people, and transported relief personnel, including members of the DART, and approximately 19,800 pounds of emergency relief supplies to affected areas.

The GoH Ministry of Public Health and Population activated an emergency health crisis cell to coordinate information on needs and response efforts with health partners, according to the UN. In addition, specialized medical personnel deployed with supplies to treat trauma and orthopedic needs among earthquake-affected populations.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) country office in Haiti has activated its emergency plan, while PAHO and the UN World Health Organization (WHO) declared an emergency for Haiti and neighboring Dominican Republic for the duration of 2021. PAHO and WHO are coordinating with the DGPC, local authorities and health officials, and other UN agencies. In addition, the GoDR is delivering medical supplies and non-food items. Meanwhile, the Red Cross and hospitals in unaffected areas are providing surge assistance, while Médecins Sans Frontières has deployed teams to Grand’Anse and Sud.

PUBLIC DONATION INFORMATION

The most effective way people can assist relief efforts is by making cash contributions to humanitarian organizations that are conducting relief operations. A list of humanitarian organizations that are accepting cash donations for disaster responses around the world can be found at www.interaction.org.

USAID encourages cash donations because they allow aid professionals to procure the exact items needed (often in the affected region); reduce the burden on scarce resources (such as transportation routes, staff time, and warehouse space); can be transferred very quickly and without transportation costs; support the economy of the disaster-stricken region; and ensure culturally, dietarily, and environmentally appropriate assistance.

More information can be found at:

• USAID Center for International Disaster Information: www.cidi.org or +1.202.661.7710.
• Information on relief activities of the humanitarian community can be found at www.reliefweb.int.