Stories from the field
Haitian Red Cross teams tackle aftermath of storm Isaac
Teams from the Haitian Red Cross and International Federation of the Red Cross have reached more than 50 of Haiti’s most at-risk camps in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Isaac which battered the country on Friday night.
An around the clock emergency operations centre convened as the storm made landfall on Friday afternoon, monitoring the situation throughout the night and deploying emergency assessment teams to the most vulnerable camps, still home to tens of thousands of people, at first light on Saturday morning. Further teams were dispatched on Sunday morning to the remote mountainous areas of Artibonite and Hinche, where heavy rains always pose the threat of flash floods and landslides.
On Friday morning, as Isaac bore down, Haitian Red Cross volunteers worked with the government’s department of civil protection to move 1,000 people to safe emergency shelters and provide them with practical and emotional support. Although the storm diverted away from its path, the heavy rain and winds still took their toll on the makeshift settlements.
In partnership with the Haitian government department for water and sanitation, the Red Cross is supporting water trucking to some of the most vulnerable regions in response to the storm, and has further stepped up its efforts to head-off disease with teams of Haitian Red Cross hygiene promotion volunteers visiting camps and distributions of water purification tablets.
Even as teams are forging ahead with registering those in need and carrying out the distribution process for replacement tarps, tools and materials to enable people to rebuild their shelters, along with soap and other hygiene items to combat the spread of disease, Red Cross preparations are already underway for further emergencies which may follow on Isaac’s heels.
The effects of Isaac’s impact are not limited to Haiti and neither are Red Cross actions in the Americas. In Dominican Republic and Cuba, National Red Cross Societies have been hard at work in assessing needs and delivering assistance to vulnerable communities.
As rains continue in the Caribbean and with Isaac now predicted to become a hurricane in the Gulf during the next days, the Federations’ Disaster Response and Early Recovery Unit in the Americas continues to monitor the situation in each of the affected countries.
"We remain ready to assist the needs of National Societies responding to Isaac, our communications are constant and our pre-deployed delegates will help ensure that we can provide the highest quality support." said Benoit Porte, disaster response and early recovery coordinator of the International Federation in the Americas.
