Over one million people homeless after Haiti quake by CNN / UN News / AFP & agencies 12:36am 15th Jan, 2010   30 January 2010    UN food agency begins major scale up of aid to earthquake victims in Haiti.    The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today began ramping up its operations in Haiti by opening 16 fixed food distribution sites offering supplies to some 2 million people affected by the massive earthquake in the capital, Port-au-Prince.    “Up until now the nature of this emergency has forced us to work in a "quick and dirty" way simply to get food out,” said WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran.    Characterizing the emergency relief operation in Haiti ¬- struck by a 7.0-magnitude tremor on 12 January - as the most complex ever faced by the agency, Ms. Sheeran said that the 16 fixed sites are an important step towards achieving food stability.    “This distribution system will not only allow us to reach more people, it will give us the qualitative step we need to facilitate the delivery of all kinds of humanitarian assistance in the weeks and months to come,” stressed Ms. Sheeran.    The distribution sites aim to reach over 2 million people during a two-week period under the leadership of the Haitian Government, and in coordination with the UN Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), the US military, and a group of key non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The scale-up of the operation begins today with distributions of coupons to families across Port-au-Prince, and the first distributions will take place at all 16 sites on Sunday, continuing for 15 days.    Each family will receive a 25 kilogramme ration of rice, with only women being allowed into distribution sites to collect their share. WFP and its partners will work with the local authorities to ensure that men in need of assistance are not excluded.    Separate from this new operation, distributions to those affected by the earthquake currently living outside Port-au-Prince will continue, as will specialist support to hospitals and orphanages.    WFP"s response has been hampered by the almost complete decimation of the city"s infrastructure, the destruction of the supply chain to move food and other supplies into and around the country, and the huge scale of need.    Despite all these obstacles, WFP said it has reached nearly 600,000 people with over 16 million meals since the earthquake struck.    Relief efforts have long way to go despite improvement, says UN Emergency Relief Coordiantor.    The emergency relief operation in Haiti continues to make progress on a daily basis although considerable logistical restraints have meant large numbers of people suffering from the impact of the devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake have not yet received the aid they need, the United Nations humanitarian chief said today.    “We have a long way to go before we can feel satisfied about that,” the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York.    For the most part potable water is being shipped to the people who need it, but there are major concerns over the distribution of food, said Mr. Holmes, who is also the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.    The World Food Programme (WFP) has been working night and day to reach around 600,000 people to date with the equivalent of 16 million meals, an effort which will be considerably scaled up to reach 2 million people in the next two weeks through food distribution sites.    Food deliveries are also slated to be trucked directly to around 400 orphanages and hospitals altogether over the 14 day period, he added.    Mr. Holmes noted that the initial phase for Haitians in need of emergency surgical operations is largely over, but concerns remain over those who have undergone surgery and who need intensive care. “They don’t have homes to go to in many cases and that’s something being addressed.”    He said that rather than create large camps for displaced persons, the focus is to help provide shelter to where people have fled in the capital and other large cities, stressing that there are some 500 informal settlements scattered around Port-au-Prince alone.    The UN is making sure people have either tents, or other materials, including plastic sheeting, tarpaulins and wood to help create temporary shelters. Some people are starting from scratch on open ground and many are living on the land by their destroyed houses.    “In this context, sanitation is a particular concern at the moment,” said Mr. Holmes. “There is a need to provide sanitation particularly to these informal camps around Port-au-Prince and elsewhere.”    In addition, Mr. Holmes underscored the need to boost child protection. “This is a huge concern at the moment with so many children involved, so many orphaned and separated or otherwise isolated and the risks to them from unauthorized attempts to get them out of the country.”    The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that security is being strengthened in hospitals, orphanages, at the border crossing with the Dominican Republic and at the airport, and the UN mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) is conducting investigations into alleged kidnappings of children.    Mr. Holmes noted that the $575 million UN flash appeal for Haiti launched three days after the quake is 82 per cent funded, Mr. Holmes announced, expressing some concern that certain areas – including early recovery, the cash-for-work scheme, agriculture and nutrition – remain under-funded.    Jan 2010    Haitian officials have warned the overall death toll may top 200,000 and say three million people have been affected by the powerful earthquake that ripped across the poorest nation in the Americas. The quake has killed over 150,000 people, according to figures provided by the government officals, wit more than 250,000 people injured and over one million left homeless.    15 January 2010 (UN News)    The United Nations and its partners today appealed for $562 million to help the victims of the earthquake which struck Haiti earlier this week, affecting 3 million people.    The earthquake has devastated the capital, Port-au-Prince, leaving basic services on the brink of collapse.    The $562 million is intended to assist an estimated 3 million affected people over a period of six months, with half of the funds being earmarked for emergency food aid, with the rest targeted at health, water, sanitation, nutrition, early recovery, emergency education and other key needs.    “There is not a moment to lose. Lives are on the line. The coming days can make a critical difference in caring for the acutely injured, preventing the spread of disease, and providing essential food, water and shelter to tens of thousands of families who have been left with little but the clothes on their back,” said, launching the appeal in New York.    The Office for the Coordination Affairs (OCHA) is coordinating some 27 search-and-rescue teams – considered a top priority as many people remained trapped under rubble – while a further 10 teams are set to arrive shortly.    With many survivors having sustained serious injuries, including traumatic wounds and crushed limbs, medical support has been identified as an immediate need, along with food, water and shelter. The UN World Health Organization (WHO) is coordinating medical assistance and sending a team specializing in victim care, while its partners are ramping up their efforts on the ground.    Yesterday, WHO said eight hospitals were damaged or destroyed in Haiti and two damaged in neighbouring Dominican Republic. “We fear that the impact of this earthquake will be particularly devastating to the already existing vulnerability of Haiti’s people, society and economy,” said WHO’s Paul Garwood.    OCHA said there is still a great need for doctors, nurses and medicine. For its part, the World Food Programme (WFP) is continuing with its food distributions, aiming to reach 2 million people affected by the quake.    Meanwhile, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) highlighted as one of its key concerns identifying and reuniting children who have been separated from their parents in the disaster, as well as finding the extended families of orphaned children.    Nearly half of Haiti’s population is under the age of 18, making children very vulnerable, UNICEF stressed, adding that many children are on the streets of Port-au-Prince, hungry, thirsty and traumatized.    * Below is a link to CNN"s Haiti Earthquake Disaster page, providing daily news updates. Visit the related web page
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