GEO Haiti 2010

State of the Environment Report 2010
region, including a land and vegetation area which
had sunk to 1 metre below sea level. The level of
the Azuei and Trou Caiman Lakes, including the
turbidity of the water, had increased.
More minor incidents included an oil spill from a
damaged tank at the coastal oil terminal, shipping
containers falling into the sea, and small fires
developing in destroyed warehouses as well as in
a gas station.
According to a government estimate, 211 persons
were rescued by national and international
rescue teams. The Civil Defence Organization
reports that 3 million people were affected by the
earthquake, of which 1.5 million (or 15% of the
country’s population) were directly affected. The
latest figures from ECLAC indicate that 222,000
people lost their lives, 311,000 were injured and
869 are still reported missing 1 . Almost 1.3 million
currently live in emergency camps and temporary
shelters in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince.
It is estimated that more than 500,000 persons
have left Port-au-Prince in order to find shelter
elsewhere in the country 2 .
The earliest relief assistance was received from
nearby countries such as the Dominican Republic
and other Latin American countries, followed
by the United States, France, Spain, Canada,
Switzerland and other European countries as
well as from Asia, Australia and Africa. Logistical
problems and more specifically the absence of
a national disaster response plan hampered the
process of dispatching the local and international
humanitarian aid to those in need. In light of
these constraints, the United Nations, the Haitian
government and the various international
delegations decided to share the various tasks
among 12 cluster partners and developed a
coordination system called Flash Appeal. The
following clusters meet regularly to coordinate
their joint humanitarian aid efforts according to
specific needs: Camp Coordination and Camp
Management (IOM), Education (UNICEF/Save
the Children), Emergency Shelter and Non-Food
Items (IOM/IFRC), Food (WFP), Logistics (WFP),
Nutrition (UNICEF), Protection (OHCHR with
UNICEF for Child Protection and UNFPA for GBV),
WASH (UNICEF), Agriculture (FAO), Early Recovery
(UNDP), Emergency Telecommunications (WFP)
and Health (WHO/PAHO).
Following the earthquake, the main issues
requiring attention were: food distribution; waste
management (household waste - solid waste
and wastewater, medical waste, waste from
demolished structures, hazardous waste and
pollutants); the issue of security (kidnappings and
the need of safe areas to erect shelters); sanitation
challenges (burying the dead, disease control,
public health and first aid services for survivors,
delivery of medical care); living conditions in the
camps, energy needs and communication.
The Office of Mining and Energy has issued a
warning concerning possible aftershocks during
the rest of the year. The population has been asked
not to occupy homes, even if these only show a few
cracks. The Institute de Physique du Globe de Paris
(The Paris Institute of Global Physics) and other
research institutions concur on the possibility
of more aftershocks as well as on the need of
preventive measures, given that the affected areas
are susceptible to future earthquakes of equal or
greater magnitude.
Damage and Loss Assessment
Profound imbalances already existed between
the natural and human environments prior to the
earthquake as a result of dire poverty, a largely
subsistence-based economy and a geographical,
geological, geomorphologic and climatic
situation which leaves the country exposed to a
wide range of dangerous natural phenomena.
Equally important is the chronic incapacity of
the governance systems to ensure efficiency and
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1
http://www.prensa-latina.cu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=172601&Itemid=2
2
The figures on the death toll and damage sustained are not precise and may vary from one document to another.