OCHA Situation Report No. 9
Caribbean: Hurricane Season
9 September 2008


Source:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

This situation report is based on information received from, the UN 
Emergency Technical Team (UNETT) in the affected countries, the Regional 
Office in Panama and the National Hurricane Centre. This situation report 
covers the effects of Hurricanes "Gustav", "Hanna" and "Ike" in the 
Caribbean.

HIGHLIGHTS

- Hurricane "Ike" is currently battering Cuba following the passage of 
"Gustav" that had earlier caused enormous damage to the country.

- In Haiti, the DPC informs that some 86,000 have been seriously affected 
and 170 persons lost their lives as a result of "Hanna"(1.) The situation 
has worsened due to "Hurricane Ike".

- As a result of Hurricane "Ike", an UNDAC Team was deployed to Turks and 
Caicos.

SITUATION

1. Hurricane "Ike" is now a Category 2 hurricane and is currently 
battering Cuba, after passing north of Hispaniola and close to the Turks 
and Caicos. "Ike" is moving towards the west but a turn toward the 
west-northwest should begin today. The centre of hurricane "Ike" should 
move back over water near Punta Macurijes in the province of Camaguey soon 
and pass over the southern Coast of Central Cuba and western Cuba on 
Tuesday. Some fluctuations of strength are expected but maximum sustained 
winds are near 100 mph/160Km/per hour. Large and dangerous battering waves 
along the southern coast of Cuba are expected.

2. The Caribbean region has been affected since 15 August successively by 
tropical storm Fay, hurricanes "Gustav" and "Hanna". These have affected 
Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, 
Turks and Caicos, Costa Rica, Cuba and the United States with Haiti and 
Cuba particularly impacted.

HAITI

3. Even though the centre of hurricane "Ike" did not directly touch Haiti, 
it had a significant impact on many regions of the country. Heavy rains 
were reported in the north, particularly in the area of Port de Paix, Anse 
Rouge and Gonaives. Several bridges were destroyed or seriously damaged, 
limiting access to the affected regions. Due to weather conditions, the 
airport in Port au-Prince was closed most of the day of Sunday 7 September 
which impeded the transportation of humanitarian assistance.

4. Resulting from rising water levels, the already vulnerable situation in 
Gonaives became even more precarious. The city could not be accessed by 
road or by helicopter. Hence, no additional relief items could be 
transported to Gonaives on 7 September. Distribution of the already 
existing relief supply stocks was also hampered. Food rations for three 
days (HEB), water as well as hygiene kits were distributed to 
approximately 4,000 people instead of the planned 6,000. Relief operations 
in Gonaives are further hampered by the increasing scarcity of fuel and 
mounting security concerns.

5. In view of limited capacity on the ground to organize the distribution 
of relief items, the DSRSG/RC/HC recommended humanitarian partners to 
increase the cooperation with local organizations and local staff in order 
to facilitate the process. An emergency coordination meeting with the UNCT 
and the DPC was convened by the DSRSG/RC/HC to discuss response in 
Gonaives, the South East and South West of the country. It was agreed that 
the delivery of relief supplies should be the priority at this stage, 
together with rapid assessments to evaluate the impact of "Ike" in the 
northern departments. The DSRSG/RC/HC cautioned that the capacity of the 
MINUSTAH base to accommodate more UN humanitarian coordination staff was 
stretched to a limit and that agencies should coordinate with MINUSTAH on 
this matter.

6. The government held a press conference today, reporting on damages 
inflicted by the hurricanes and most urgent needs, as well as on planned 
actions to respond to the emergency situation. The Ministry of Education 
reported that a total of 37 schools have suffered damage to various 
degrees by the storms.

Sectoral Response

7. In the health sector, assessments are on going as well as sectoral 
meetings. MSF conducted an assessment with two doctors in different 
shelters in Gonaives city. In the food sector, some 39,080 persons have 
received food aid, as 242 MT of food were distributed. Food assistance was 
provided by WFP and its partners Care, Caritas and Crose to people in 
temporary shelters in Port-au-Prince, Saint Michel de l'Atalaye, 
Port-de-Paix, Jeremie, Les Cayes, Miragoane, Grand- Goave, Bainet and 
Jacmel; World Vision started distributions in Hinche and Island of La 
Gonave; CRS provided dry food rations in Les Cayes. On 7 September, WFP 
delivered 16 MT of High-Energy Biscuits (HEB) to Gonaives by boat, 
however, they could not be distributed yet. Some 22 MT of HEB were 
delivered to Gonaives by helicopter and a further 10 MT are ready to be 
delivered. WFP will be sending additional staff to Gonaives by helicopter 
and is exploring access

by road with M6 trucks to transport food commodities. In the shelter and 
NFIs sector, Action Contre la Faim distributed emergency supplies 
including hygiene kits, water purification tablets, blankets and other 
items to an estimated 500families in Port de Paix, with supplies 
pre-positioned through the emergency programme. UNICEF also pre-positioned 
20,000 L of water in Port-au-Prince for immediate needs. IOM and partners 
distributed some 113 kitchen kits and hygiene kits in temporary shelters 
in St. Marc.

8. The series of natural disasters affecting Haiti comes at a critical 
time as the vast majority of the population is already struggling with 
raising living costs. The increase in food prices coupled with the impact 
of the 2008 hurricane season has increased Haiti's vulnerability. Hence, 
planning for income generating early recovery activities is crucial to 
allow the affected population to re-build their lives. Overall, while 
needs assessments are far from complete; it is estimated that up to 
800,000 people are in dire need of humanitarian and rehabilitation 
assistance. Initial projections show that the economic impact of the 
current disasters will be even worse than after hurricane Jeanne which hit 
Haiti in 2004.

9. A Flash Appeal is being finalised as well as a CERF request. The 
Humanitarian Coordinator has informed that United Nations and partners are 
using the cluster approach to support the Haitian government's efforts. 
The country team has requested particular support from global clusters in 
the following four areas: Logistics (WFP), Water & Sanitation (UNICEF), 
Shelter and Non-Food Items (IOM) and Early Recovery (UNDP). Cluster leads 
in Haiti have already been in touch with their respective Headquarters to 
request reinforcements in these areas. Please find in Annex I the table of 
assistance to Haiti.

Attachments:
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