September 5, 2008
Emergency Brief #1: Hurricane Gustav, Hanna -- Haiti; South Asia Flooding
Situation:
Haiti : Poor communities in the Caribbean have been severely hit as one major storm after another have pounded the islands. Especially hard hit were Haiti and Cuba.
Gustav struck last week while families were still recovering from the effects of Tropical Storm Fay, which touched down in Haiti three weeks ago. Floods and landslides from the storm killed at least 79 people. With only one percent of Haiti's extremely degraded terrain covered by forest, floodwaters raged down the country's bare mountainsides into tin-shack communities unable to withstand the pressure.
Riding the coattails of Gustav, Tropical Storm Hanna struck Haiti Monday (Sept. 1), bringing more rain to an already critical situation. All of the country has now suffered severe flooding. The northern coastal city of Gonaives is now completely flooded. In the southern city of Les Cayes, water is at knee-level or higher.
Two more storms, Ike and Josephine, are headed towards the Caribbean.
South Asia : Rising monsoon floodwaters continue to force people to move in mass exodus far from their homes along the Indian and Nepalese borders, where the devastation from the rains is getting worse. The floods have affected an estimated 2.6 million people in India, and at least 100,000 people in eastern Nepal.
The raging floodwaters swept away thousands of homes, livestock and crops. The river swallowed bridges and small roads in the affected districts, severely complicating rescue and relief activities. In pre-emptive efforts, local governments in both countries carried out evacuations and rescue, but they could only reach a fraction of the people in need. In the hardest-hit Supaul district of India, floodwaters are so high that CRS had to relocate the base of our relief operations.
The initial flooding was triggered in the middle of the night on August 18, when the eastern embankment of the Kosi River on the India and Nepal border suffered a catastrophic breach after the river rose by 10 to 15 feet. When a major dam burst, the river gained momentum and changed its course, devastating the lives of millions living near its banks.
CRS Response:
CRS has committed an initial $500,000 for these two emergency areas but we have identified needs in excess of $5 million in terms of help needed and this is likely to rise further.
Haiti
CRS has committed an initial $150,000 in relief efforts and is already providing emergency supplies—hygiene and water purification kits and bottled water—primarily in the country's southern peninsula. In addition, CRS Haiti plans to provide emergency food rations to over 3,000 families in the departments of Grand Anse, West, Southeast and South departments in coming days.
As new rains pound the country's northern region, CRS will respond to meet the areas of greatest need. To start, CRS will distribute water purifying tablets and hygiene kits and food rations to hundreds of families in Gonaives.
A CRS truck carrying emergency relief kits and food staples to the Gonaives diocese and the Missionaries of Charities was dispatched Friday afternoon. Travel throughout the country is further complicated because the main road from Port-Au-Prince has been made impassable by rising floodwaters, downed bridges and trees. CRS, however, has been able to locate an alternative route to Gonaives.
South Asia
Main roads have been damaged and many places can be accessed only by boat. The damage will be enduring, displacing people for several months at a minimum. CRS has relief teams on the ground in both Nepal and India working with local partners to provide immediate, lifesaving rescue and support.
CRS immediately provided three boats for rescue in the hard-hit Indian districts of Supaul and Araria. The agency has plans under way to distribute essential relief supplies and food to at least 100,000 people, in addition to high-energy, fortified biscuits for pregnant women and children. In Nepal, CRS is working with our Caritas partner to provide food to 25,000 displaced people in five temporary camps. Caritas plans to support an additional 4,000 families with supplies such as mattresses, mosquito nets, torch lights and batteries.
From the Field:
Haiti:
Monsignor Yves Marie Péan, c.s.c., Bishop of Gonaïves:
“It is with much sorrow that I address to you this message in these sad moments of our history. For one week, the entire country, from Jérémie to Jacmel, from Hinche to Port de Paix, from Port au Prince to Cap Haitien, faces this natural disaster of a force without precedent.
Particularly the city of Gonaives is under water as in 2004 after the terrible passage of the tropical storm Jeanne which had left three thousand (3,000) dead among us. We are today once again confronted with apocalyptical problems after the passage of the Hurricanes Gustave and Hanna. Further, in the next days, two other hurricanes menace our people.
For four (4) days many Gonaivian families have been blocked in their houses without water or electricity. At the Bishop's House we are accommodating more than five hundred (500) people including members of the clergy and their families. I your servant am suffering with these victims while trying my best to provide them assistance during these times of bad weather which has affected all of Artibonite. For the present moment we have an urgent need for: drinkable water, food, clothes, beds, batteries, covers, bath towels, chlorine, mosquito nets, medicines, etc…
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God's people, I exhort you to remain united in prayer so that God guides us through the way towards a new beginning.”
South Asia
Jennifer Poidatz, Catholic Relief Services' country representative in India.
"Essentially, a river exists now in areas where it didn't before."
Francois Poidatz, regional technical advisor for CRS.
"The water was rushing into the area and people feared the canals might break. We wanted to avoid being trapped, so we moved from the area [to Muzafarpur] alongside many of its residents."
CRS in the News:
Jennifer Poidatz interviewed on CNN:
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/08/29/india.floods/index.html
How to Help:
Donate via phone: 1-877-HELP-CRS
Donate online: www.crs.org
Write a check: Catholic Relief Services
P.O. Box 17090
Baltimore, Maryland 21203-7090
Memo portion of check: Severe Weather in Latin America and The Caribbean; Or Flooding in India and Eastern Nepal
Background:
Haiti : CRS began working in Haiti in 1954 after Hurricane Hazel devastated the island. Initially, the agency's work was centered on responding to the massive loss of lives and destruction caused by the hurricane.
However, over the past 48 years, the program has grown to include both relief activities and long-term development work. Today, CRS Haiti has two offices, one in Port-au-Prince with 112 staff members and one in Les Cayes with 64 staff members. CRS Haiti has also 23 staff members based full-time in the field to support its programs in the countryside.
South Asia : Catholic Relief Services has worked in solidarity with the people of India for more than 60 years. Since 1946, when CRS provided emergency food relief during the Bombay famine, CRS has rooted partnerships and programming across all of India's states, collaborating alongside families, communities, government leadership and the Church to promote the well-being and dignity of those who are in greatest need.
CRS' current assistance to Nepal focuses on emergency aid. However, in the future, CRS will focus on combating the trafficking of women and addressing issues related to the low status of women in Nepalese society.
CRS Brings Expertise:
Haiti :
Hurricanes, floods, and other natural and man-made disasters exact a devastating toll on Haiti's most vulnerable population. A lack of early warning systems catches many communities ill-prepared, while the country's treeless terrain leaves them unprotected against the elements. Even the weakest of storms can have a profound impact.
CRS responds to these disasters by providing victims with emergency supplies, including food, clean water and medical supplies. We help communities prepare for disaster by establishing early warning systems and forming civil protection committees. These are groups of locals who are trained in different aspects of emergency response, such as evacuation or transportation. After the immediate danger has passed, we aid community members by repairing and building water and sanitation systems, providing farming tools and supplies, and rebuilding homes.
(CRS Prepares for Hurricane Season, an interview with CRS’ emergency advisor: http://www.crs.org/dominican-republic/hurricane-preparedness/)
South Asia :
CRS has in-depth experience responding to monsoon flooding in the subcontinent. In August 2007, CRS worked with local partners to carry out relief operations in five states — including Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. CRS reached more than 50,000 families with emergency medical care, plastic sheeting to cover damaged sections of their homes, food, and water filters for safe cooking and drinking.
(CRS’ Response to Monsoon Floods in India in 2007: http://www.crs.org/india/monsoon-relief-money/)
Information for Church Bulletins:
Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the official international humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic Church, is responding to victims of tropical storms Gustav and Hanna that struck Haiti earlier this week, and to the victims of monsoon flooding in India and Nepal. To donate, please call 1-877-HELP-CRS, donate online at www.crs.org or send a check to Catholic Relief Services, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21203-7090. In the memo portion of your check, please write: Severe Weather in Latin America and the Caribbean; Or Flooding in India and Eastern Nepal.
For more information go to crs.org and crsespanol.org
