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| Haiti Earthquake: six months later |
| 12 July, 2010 |
On 12 January 2010, a powerful earthquake of 7.0 magnitude (USGS) on the Richter Scale affected Haiti, at 16.53hrs local time. The earthquake happened 17 kilometres south-west of Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti.
The scale of the disaster was massive. The earthquake hit a country already suffering from endemic poverty. All institutions that would normally be involved in a disaster response and recovery were devastated - hospitals, government buildings, administrative and economic infrastructures.
According to the Haiti government, 222,570 peoplae died and over 300,000 were injured. The earthquake displaced some 2.3 million people. The total value of damage and losses is estimated at US$7.8 billion.
Humanitarian response to date
The initial humanitarian response provided emergency shelter to more than 1.5 million earthquake survivors. To date, some 4.3 million people have received food, 2.1 million people received non-food items, and 1.1 million have a daily supply of safe drinking water. Medical assistance was provided to many thousands, including to over 4000 people who needed amputation.
In Port-au-Prince, 90% of the internally displaced (IDPs) now have health clinics nearby. More than 116,000 people have benefited from short-term employment and more than 74,000 farming households have received seeds and tools in time for the spring planting season.
Ongoing challenges
While some of the most urgent needs have been met, many ongoing challenges of the humanitarian response remain, particularly in view of the rainy and hurricane seasons.
Work has moved forward on protecting vulnerable families. Over 130 camps have been assessed, supplies have been pre-positioned, disease surveillance continues, logistics hubs have been secured, and outreach explaining preparedness has been undertaken for those in camps.
However, more work is still needed, including improved response plans at the local level. While donors' response to the Haiti Flash Appeal has been very generous, to date only just over 60% of the Appeal has been funded.
Source: OCHAonline.un.org
Photo: OCHAonline.un.org
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