Haiti

Residents of an earthquake displacement camp in metropolitan Port-au-Prince receive pre-positioned emergency relief commodities through a USAID/OFDA humanitarian partner during Hurricane Isaac (August 2012).

Johs Pierce USAID

USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) not only responds to urgent needs related to humanitarian emergencies, but also funds programs that leave communities stronger and more resilient to future disasters. In Haiti, recurrent floods and landslides associated with the rainy and hurricane seasons, and unpredictable events—such as the January 2010 earthquake and the cholera outbreak that began in October 2010—require USAID/OFDA to focus both on providing immediate response to affected populations and on supporting disaster risk reduction programs that promote local and national self-sufficiency in disaster preparedness and management. Since the earthquake, USAID/OFDA has provided more than $450 million to assist affected populations and build resilience.

HUMANITARIAN FUNDING TO HAITI FOR HURRICANE SANDY IN FY 2013*

*Funding figures are as of 02/15/13

Key Developments

In Haiti, heavy rains, strong winds, and flooding associated with Hurricane Sandy in late October 2012 resulted in the death of 54 people and damaged or destroyed tens of thousands of houses and additional infrastructure, such as roads and bridges.

USAID/OFDA activated an assessment team in Haiti in advance of Hurricane Sandy’s arrival—consisting of USAID/OFDA staff based in Port-au-Prince, USAID/OFDA staff deployed from outside Haiti, and local disaster relief consultants stationed around the country to coordinate the U.S. Government (USG) response. On October 31, 2012, U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Pamela A. White declared a disaster due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy.

Post-storm assessments indicated that the hurricane destroyed more than 90,000 hectares of crops, compounding harvest losses sustained during Tropical Storm Isaac in August 2012 and drought conditions earlier in the year.

To date, USAID has provided nearly $17 million in humanitarian funding to respond to the effects of the hurricane, including for agriculture and food security assistance,economic recovery support, and shelter and settlements interventions. The USG continues to support the GoH in responding to the effects of Hurricane Sandy.