Haiti: Tropical Storm Isaac

In displaced persons camps in and around Port-au-Prince, residents are cleaning up debris from Tropical Storm Isaac.

USAID/P.Gelman

Due in large part to the Government of Haiti’s professional and organized response before, during, and after Tropical Storm Isaac, countless lives were saved. The Government of Haiti has spent months training and executing simulation exercises, as well as the developing procedures for managing evacuations and evacuation shelters. The evacuation effort for Tropical Storm Isaac represents the first-ever preventive evacuation led by the Government of Haiti.

The Government of Haiti, through its Department of Civil Protection (DPC), coordinates hurricane preparedness and humanitarian response activities and coordinated the efforts of the Haitian Red Cross, Haitian National Police, Haiti’s National Directorate for Potable Water and Sanitation (DINEPA), the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), International Organization for Migration (IOM), and United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) to prepare logistics for evacuations and ready shelters with food, water, and management/registration to receive evacuees. In total, nearly 14,400 people were evacuated nationwide, primarily in the West and Southeast departments.

In response to Tropical Storm Isaac, the United States, through USAID, activated a team of disaster-response experts that helped with storm preparations and is now assessing storm damage and determining what humanitarian assistance might be needed. Our preliminary reports indicate that the impact of Isaac has been more significant in the displaced persons camps in Port-au-Prince and the Southeast Department than in other areas of Haiti.

Initial assessments in Port-au-Prince indicate that Isaac-related humanitarian needs are manageable with relief commodities and humanitarian staff resources [PDF, 68kB] already in-country.

Humanitarian organizations are already distributing emergency relief commodities to those in need in Port-au-Prince. On Sunday, August 26, USAID hygiene kits and water containers were distributed to 23 displacement camps in the capital, including in Cité Soleil and Delmas.

In Southeast Department, the Government of Haiti, humanitarian organizations and a USAID consultant are currently conducting an assessment to learn what assistance might be needed. Initial reports indicate floods and damage to houses, agriculture, and livestock in several areas along the coast.

MINUSTAH has placed significant logistical and transportation assets on standby for post-storm assessments and delivery of emergency relief supplies, including helicopters, trucks, and heavy engineering equipment for road clearing and construction work.

The United States continues to coordinate closely with the Government of Haiti and international partners, and we stand ready to assist as appropriate.