San Felipe Humanitarian Alliance

Dear friends,

The challenges from this massive and devastating earthquake are as great as any encountered in recent years. Despite progress in recent years, the dreadful poverty of the population and other pre-existing problems in the country present significant challenges to the rebuilding process, as do several other factors. The scale of the devastation of the capital and government nerve centre, and several large towns, is simply enormous. Assessments in Port-au-Prince, Jacmel, Goave and other towns produced damage estimates as high as 90%. According to Haitian authorities, the number of dead has exceeded 150,000 persons.

The failure of virtually all normal and essential basic services in Port-au-Prince and other nearby cities, and the damage to key ports and logistics routes has only further isolated the population as well. And I would be remiss in not acknowledging the profound impact on the UN and NGO family amidst this tragedy as significant in terms of the loss of life and capacity to see immediate response.

However, with just two weeks since the disaster and with search and rescue operations winding down, the international community is building a massive emergency relief operation to help more than 3 million Haitians with life-saving assistance and basic services. The immediate cost of is in the ballpark of $575 million, a figure that is bound to increase as more information is made available of areas outside main towns. To date, more than $270 million has been pledged to meet the needs of this appeal. With some 130 people rescued by over 50 international teams, the search and response rescue operation is one of the most, if not the most, successful in modern time.

UN agencies, NGOs, and member states have rallied to Haiti’s side in these dark and difficult days, and there is some hope that in doing so real and dedicated assistance can enable a speedy recovery and ‘build back better’. There are now more than 500 organizations of one kind or another working in Haiti, and that number is rising daily.

Approximately 200,000 people are receiving water everyday. Needless to say, again we still have a great distance to travel to restore predictable supplies to the currently estimated 500,000 in most urgent need of water. Food is a particular logistical challenge because of its bulk and the massive need -estimated at around two million people at this stage. Some 500,000 people have received food to date, in addition to what NGO and Red Cross teams have been able to provide. Shelter is perhaps one of the most difficult to deliver, as tens upon tens of thousands of families were rendered homeless and the next rainy season just five months away.

However, important work on planning post-disaster recovery is already underway, which is critical to ensure current emergency programming is connected to longer-term community-driven assistance projects. Using the lessons learnt from many other contexts, agencies are working with the people themselves to prepare projects for longer-term assistance. Today’s conference in Montreal is a very positive step, with at least a dozen western states sitting with the Government of Haiti to start planning for the resurrection of the country.

To have the impact we require, it is critical that San Felipe Humanitarian Alliance work with organizations that have demonstrated dedication to the Haitian people, and include them in the decision-making process for projects. San Felipe is looking to pair with Concern Worldwide, an internationally renowned organization with more than 30 years experience in Haiti. In due course, once emergency response operations are underway and longer-term assessments are finalized, we can decide with our partners where to target our help.

With warm regards and best wishes and until next time, I remain yours –

David.

Relief efforts in Haiti are continuing against all odds. Hospitals are going up, food and water is getting in. lives are being saved. We aren't hearing a lot of good things that are happening in our nightly news, however good things are happening. Dedicated people are on the ground working round the clock to save lives and aide in the recovery efforts. There is a long ways to go, but with the help of others, the country of Haiti will flourish once again.

It has been four days since Haiti was struck by a devastating Earthquake.