Emergencies
Haiti Hurricane. A woman walks during rainfall caused by Hurricane Gustav in Port-au-Prince, Haiti (Copyright: REUTERS / Evens Felix courtesy of www.alertnet.org, Save the Children Australia)

Haiti Hurricane

  • Donate online
  • Download thePDF fileHaiti Hurricane Donation Form [Adobe PDF, 88 Kb] and post it or fax it to us
  • Call our toll free number 1800 76 00 11 and donate over the phone
  • Send us a cheque/money order payable to Save the Children Australia. Forward it to Haiti Hurricane Emergency Appeal, Save the Children, PO Box 340, Fitzroy VIC 3065. Make sure to enclose your name and address for receipting purposes.

Save the Children is assisting children and families affected by extreme weather in Haiti, which has been hit by three tropical storms since the middle of August.

Haiti was struck by Tropical Storm Fay on 15 and 16 August; by Hurricane Gustav on 26 August; and by Tropical Storm Hanna, which brought additional high winds and rain, from 1 September.

The government of Haiti has announced that approximately 250,000 people have been affected by Tropical Storm Hanna, with 60,000 currently in shelters. This follows the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Gustav, which affected 100,000 people. More than 15,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed.  Death toll to date is 216 which is expected to increase as bodies are retrieved from receding flood waters.

There has been extensive heavy flooding, and the situation is particularly serious in Gonaïves, where flooding has paralysed the city. Save the Children is sending a team to Gonaïves this weekend to assess immediate needs and plan for a long-term response. It is estimated that 80% of the Artibonite Valley is under water, and 70% crop loss in the south prevents this traditional food source from being of any assistance to the north.

Save the Children is working to reach displaced children residing in shelters in Gonaïves and Jacmal. We will establish child-friendly spaces to help address children’s emotional and educational needs and to provide a protective environment while their families wait for the waters to recede.

Ned Olney, head of Save the Children's humanitarian response unit said, "In this very uncertain environment, children are at great risk — but their needs are often overlooked in the chaos of the emergency. He added, "Save the Children will work to ensure that children are protected, engaged and have the space to just be children while their parents go about the business of rebuilding their lives."

Save the Children’s response will emphasise meeting the educational needs of children. The official school year began on Monday, 8 September, however many school buildings have been damaged and are in use as temporary shelters. Authorities in Jacmel have already delayed the start of the school year until early October.  Out of the more than 150 schools that Save the Children works with directly in the storm-affected areas, 16 have reported structural damage. In addition, many parents have lost their means of making a living and lack the funds to pay tuition.

 

Background

Save the Children has been working in Haiti since 1985.  Of all the nations in the Western Hemisphere, none faces greater challenges to improve the lives of its children than Haiti. In addition to its poor development indicators, Haiti is the country most affected by HIV/AIDS outside of sub-Saharan Africa, which aggravates the well-being of children whose health is already compromised by poverty and inadequate access to basic health care.

 

How you can help

  • Donate online
  • Download thePDF fileHaiti Hurricane Donation Form [Adobe PDF, 88 Kb] and post it or fax it to us
  • Call our toll free number 1800 76 00 11 and donate over the phone
  • Send us a cheque/money order payable to Save the Children Australia. Forward it to Haiti Hurricane Emergency Appeal, Save the Children, PO Box 340, Fitzroy VIC 3065. Make sure to enclose your name and address for receipting purposes.