ReliefWeb

Preliminary Appeal Target: US$11,880,373

Balance Requested: US$11,261,234

Geneva, 12 October 2016

Dear Colleagues,

On Tuesday October 4 th 2016, Hurricane Matthew (category 4 in the Saffir-Simpson Scale), the strongest hurricane in almost a decade swept through Haiti with winds of up to 230 km/h. Hurricane Matthew made landfall near Les Anglais before continuing northwards along the Windward Passage. The slow movement of the hurricane increased the rainfall associated, with up to 600mm registered causing widespread damage, flooding, and displacement across the island.

The latest figures suggest that more than 900 people have been killed by Hurricane Matthew, in seven different departments. The most affected departments are the Sud and the Grande Anse, where OCHA reports that about 75% of each respective population is in need of Humanitarian Aid. Nippes was also hit hard, with up to 50% of its population in need of humanitarian aid. Apart from loss of lives and a number of injuries, significant damage has been reported on infrastructure (bridges, roads, hospitals, schools, churches and housing, as well as water and sanitation infrastructures), agricultural land and livestock. The potential for trauma is also high, due to the destructive force, long duration of passage and significant damage to lives and livelihoods. Access remains difficult in many localities. Medium and long term impact of Hurricane Matthew relates in particular to loss of livelihoods in agriculture and business, and seasonal difficulties to re-plant in time for the upcoming harvest season. Besides, there is a serious threat about the spread of waterborne disease such as cholera.

The Nord Ouest, Sud Est, Ouest and Artibonite departments were also affected. The population of the Grande Anse and Sud department alone is more than 1.24 million people, of which 522,000 are children. Official figures report that more than 350,000 people have immediate and critical need for assistance. More than 1.4 million people are reported to require humanitarian assistance in the short to medium term.

ACT Haiti forum members are already providing assistance with local partners and plan to keep reducing the suffering of the hurricane affected people through this Appeal.