Haiti Quake Updates

When a devastating earthquake struck Haiti, Alexandria, VA, small business owner and Oxfam America donor Danielle Romanetti knew that she wanted to help—and that her friends and neighbors did, too. That’s when she realized she could use her yarn store, Fibre Space, as a means to raise funds for the relief effort.

In the aftermath of the quake, Oxfam moved quickly to provide emergency aid for thousands of affected people. Meanwhile, supporters like Romanetti also took action, organizing dozens of large and small community events to raise funds and awareness about the crisis.

Providing water and preventing diarrhea is Oxfam’s main mission in Haiti right now, says Liz Lucas, the relief organization’s American press officer. And HeadCount is donating all money collected at shows through March 1 to Oxfam America’s relief effort in Haiti. (Learn more about how you can donate here.)

Emergency-response organizations from around the world have been stationed in Haiti since the earthquake shook the poverty-stricken country four weeks ago, causing an estimated 230,000 deaths to date. Musicians, including Radiohead and will.i.am, have also been coming together in various ways to support Haiti. (Check out will.i.am’s Superbowl remix of The Who’s “My Generation” here.

Liz Lucas filled us in on the relief effort and her personal experiences on the island of Dominica. She told us about what’s being delivered as well as what will be needed in the months and years ahead in order to rebuild Haiti’s environment, infrastructure, and, most importantly, the lives of as many as a million displaced survivors.

HeadCount: Tell us about Oxfam’s relief work in Haiti and what your role has been thus far.

Right now, Oxfam is focused on water and sanitation. This means we provide and try to ensure access to water for drinking and washing, as well as latrines and hygiene kits. Sanitation will remain an important health issue in the coming weeks to avoid the spread of disease – increasing cases of diarrhea are already being reported. The situation will be exacerbated when rains flood the solid-waste areas and drainage ditches, some of which have become blocked by rubble. Most at risk are those living in temporary settlements and crowded conditions with little, if any, space to improve drainage, and those at the camps’ lower end, which are liable to flood. Oxfam has installed 150 latrines to date, and a team has just arrived in Port au Prince to do a major solid waste disposal project.

We’ve also been working on cash-for-work initiatives. We started the program in Haiti because it’s an effective alternative to food distributions when sufficient food is available for people to buy. We pay people to do necessary jobs in their community, such as removing trash, waste, and light rubble. It gives them an income to buy food with. We’ve seen that markets are open and heard repeatedly that food is available – people simply lack the cash to purchase these goods.

There seem to be mixed messages about how efficiently help is being delivered. Have you seen things progressing on a day-to-day basis?

Things are getting better and every day we see more aid getting through. Our relief operations have seen a marked improvement over the last two weeks. We have a steady truck pipeline from Santo Domingo and now operate eight sites, with more to come. We have our full complement of experts on the ground. A steady stream of water trucks keeps our water points full. We’ve built latrines and water points serving more than 90,000 people at this point. The cash-for-work program is up and running.

But humanitarian agencies are facing serious challenges in reaching millions of affected Haitians quickly. The enormous scale of the disaster means hundreds of thousands of people need a massive amount of assistance. This has required large volumes of aid, and more humanitarian workers need to be transported into and around Haiti. The main airport at Port au Prince is functioning with limited capacity, while the main sea port, though usable, was badly damaged. In addition, the United Nations and several humanitarian agencies suffered many fatalities and injuries to their staff, including the head of the UN mission.

President Obama laid out a plan to send military forces to maintain peace and quell any post-disaster unrest. What are your thoughts on the US government’s reaction to the earthquake?

There are principles to guide the international humanitarian community on the use of military assets in humanitarian response. Essentially, military assets should be requested only where there is no comparable civilian alternative and when such assets can meet a critical humanitarian need. The US military plays an important role in responding to huge disasters such as the Haiti earthquake, especially with logistics and security, which are greatly needed at the outset of a devastating disaster. This isn’t the first time the US military has been asked to respond to a disaster, and it’s to be commended for its efforts.

However, the US military must operate under the leadership of civilian emergency-relief professionals whose mission, mandate, and expertise lie in mounting effective relief and recovery operations. The President’s designation of USAID as the lead agency for the US government’s response to the earthquake means the military is in a supporting role to civilian development and humanitarian response professionals. As such, relief efforts carried out by the military should end as soon as civilians are capable of taking over those efforts effectively.

The image projected by the media is one of people coming together and holding onto their faiths, even in suffering. How are the Haitian people coping with this tragedy from your point of view?

From what I’ve seen on the ground, Haitian people are coming together to cope with this tragedy. Many Oxfam staffers have lost homes and loved ones and yet still come to work each day to support the aid effort. People are offering shelter to one another and sharing what little they have.

Has there been a widespread eruption of violence since you arrived?

Not at all. What we’ve seen more than anything is Haitians working together and sharing what resources they have. There has been sporadic violence and we’re monitoring the situation. So far, our aid stocks have not been looted and our aid workers have not been attacked.

What’s been the most difficult part of your work? And what has been most gratifying?

By far the most gratifying party has been watching our Haitian staff come to work in the face of unbelievable personal tragedies. It’s been incredible to see their dedication to assisting fellow Haitians. This has made us all strive to be and do better as well.

What’s the next step after basic needs have been delivered and direct aid begins to pull out of Haiti

After basic needs have been delivered, the next step will be rebuilding and making sure the world continues to support Haiti. Some of the most pressing issues will certainly include finding space where people will want to live and having access to safe materials to build homes that can withstand potential threats – including hurricanes, future earthquakes, and aftershocks. Job creation and income earning will also become major issues. Haiti faces problems that may make the stabilization and recovery phases stretch out over a long period despite everyone’s best efforts. First, there’s the preexisting weakness of public institutions now utterly devastated by the quake. Basic public services, like water and sanitation, that used to be woefully inadequate are now simply absent.

Earthquakes are natural disasters. But how can manmade disasters be prevented? Since many institutions that provided a voice for the poor have been destroyed, how can we sustain ongoing efforts to fight poverty and rebuild infrastructure?

The humanitarian response should form the basis for a sustained international reconstruction effort. This would reconstruct what was destroyed while establishing equitable international and regional policies toward Haiti and focus on the country’s most vulnerable communities, especially women. There are three key criteria: First, all efforts should be made to reduce people’s vulnerability and increase their resilience. Second, public institutions lie at the heart of good development. We must ensure that the new Haiti has strong institutions able to provide basic services and guide the reconstruction effort. Third, solutions cannot be imposed from outside. Haitians must have voice and vote to control their own destiny.

As with many organizations, I imagine Oxfam’s efforts have had to adapt to the changing
needs of developing countries. In your experience, how does Oxfam differ from other organizations in its approach to relief?

Oxfam America is an international relief and development organization that creates lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice. We’re particularly effective because, beyond immediate relief work, Oxfam works with local and national partner organizations to build alliances, networks, and create strong, effective organizations that eventually no longer need our support. Most importantly, what our partners teach us about the best solutions to poverty is just as valuable as the funding and collaboration we provide them.

People have come from many parts of to offer their services in Haiti. Have you worked with other relief organizations since you’ve been there?

We work with local NGO partners, camp committees, Haitian government ministries, and other actors. We’re part of coordination teams with many other NGOs. It’s important for all of us to work together.

(Photo of Petitionville tent city by Liz Lucas.)

• 

Photo by Sung Kim, courtesy Pitchfork Media

If you watched the Super Bowl last night, you may have caught a glimpse of the Oxfam America logo at the end of the commercial featuring will.i.am’s remix of the Who’s “My Generation.”  All proceeds from this high-profile new single will go to support Oxfam’s relief and recovery work in Haiti.

And will.i.am isn’t the only musician supporting Oxfam these days. Lots of bands, from chart-toppers to the relatively unknown, are hosting benefit concerts, putting out compilation CDs, recording public service announcements, and encouraging fans to donate via text message. My colleague Bob Ferguson blogged about some of these efforts a couple of weeks ago, and since then he’s been working with many more artists who want to contribute.

As a sometime music blogger, it amazes me to see these two worlds—music and NGO—collide in such unexpected ways. Then again, my fellow music geeks (uh, fans) are really passionate about the bands we love, so it only seems fitting to link that energy and dedication to a worthy cause.

Take Radiohead’s concert a couple of weeks ago in Los Angeles, where the band raised $572,000 to benefit Oxfam’s Haiti relief work. Fans bid in special auctions for tickets, and according to the Huffington Post, they paid an average of $440 each to see Radiohead perform at a smaller venue. Now that’s dedication. (For those of us who missed the Radiohead show, there are some great photos posted on Pitchfork Media, including a shot of Oxfam staffers in action.)

In the meantime, keep an eye on our website for more Oxfam and music news.

Tags: earthquake, Haiti, music, Radiohead
Posted in Disasters & conflicts

ShareThis

Big news. The U.S. Treasury Department just announced their intent to work with partners around the world to forgive Haiti’s debt in full. They also voiced their support that aid to Haiti come in the form of grants, not loans.

As you know, ONE has repeatedly pushed for these principles, including a massive campaign that as of now has received over 200,000 signatures. We will continue to push world leaders to cancel Haiti’s debt, including a petition delivery at the G7 finance ministers meeting in Iqaluit, Canada tomorrow.

This morning’s announcement from the U.S. Treasury is a tremendous step forward to giving Haiti a real chance to recover from last month’s devastating earthquake. This momentum would not have been possible without ONE members. Thank you for all your hard work.

Here’s the U.S. Treasury Department’s statement in full:

SECRETARY GEITHNER VOICES SUPPORT FOR INTERNATIONAL DEBT RELIEF FOR HAITI, FINANCING OF RECOVERY THROUGH GRANTS

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury today announced the United States will work with its partners around the world to relieve all debts owed by Haiti to international institutions and to ensure grant financing to support Haiti’s reconstruction and recovery from the devastating earthquake in January.

“The earthquake in Haiti was a catastrophic setback to the Haitian people who are now facing tremendous emergency humanitarian and reconstruction needs, and meeting Haiti’s financing needs will require a massive multilateral effort,” said Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. “Today, we are voicing our support for what Haiti needs and deserves – comprehensive multilateral debt relief.”

Secretary Geithner also welcomed International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s call to provide full relief for Haiti’s outstanding IMF debt, including the $102 million emergency loan approved on January 27, 2010.

“We are committed to working quickly and closely with these institutions in a way that provides immediate grant assistance to help the Haitian people recover and rebuild,” Secretary Geithner continued. “I very much welcome the initiative taken on this issue by leaders in Congress, the IMF, and the MDBs and look forward to working with them to provide the critical support Haiti needs for recovery as well as to discussing this issue with my G-7 colleagues this weekend.”

Treasury announced that the U.S. intends to seek a commitment with other donors for the relief of Haiti’s debt to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the International Development Association (IDA) in a manner that provides direct and immediate grant support to Haiti.

In September 2009, the U.S. concluded an agreement with Haiti that eliminated 100 percent of the Haitian Government’s outstanding debt to the U.S. This action was taken following Haiti’s successful completion of the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) Initiative process in June 2009.

Tomorrow, I'll travel to Haiti for the second time since the earthquake to meet with Haitian leaders and UN officials, visit a local clinic, and deliver much needed supplies to the region, including food, medical supplies, generators, tents, and plastic sheeting.

More than three weeks after the earthquake, the relief efforts in Haiti are being rapidly increased to meet the staggering needs, but the long road to recovery has just begun.

In mere moments, the earthquake not only turned buildings to rubble in Port-au-Prince and communities west of it and took the lives of nearly 200,000 people, it set back the impressive progress Haiti had been making to overcome 200 years of poverty, neglect and oppression. What we do now and in the weeks and months ahead to help the people and the government of Haiti will have an enormous impact on the country's future. A coordinated and sustained response by the international community, in partnership with the Haitian government can make the difference between whether Haiti "builds back better" -- or just builds back unsafe buildings that can't survive hurricanes and earthquakes; a fragile and stagnant economy; a health care system with gaping inequalities; an education system with the lowest enrollment rates in the Western hemisphere; and continued and rampant deforestation. Before the earthquake, the Haitian government had adopted a comprehensive development plan designed to build a stronger country in the aftermath of the 2008 hurricanes. The Haitian people supported it. They don't want to go back and so we must help them move forward.

The success of Haiti is deeply personal to me. As President, my administration helped restore democratic leadership in Haiti and supported peacekeeping and efforts to grow the economy. After I left office, I continued my commitment to Haiti through my Foundation, working with the Haitian government to strengthen health systems and decrease the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and other diseases. After four hurricanes ravaged Haiti in 2008, I asked members of the Clinton Global Initiative to make commitments to help rebuild the country -- in response, businesses and individuals pledged more than $100 million toward that end.

In early 2009, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked me to serve as UN Special Envoy for Haiti. For months before the earthquake, I worked alongside the people and government of Haiti, international donors, business leaders, NGOs, and the Haitian diaspora to help the country implement its development plan. I remain committed to completing my mission, and in spite of the quake I still believe Haiti can break the chains of poverty and desperation.

In a recent press conference, Secretary-General Ban detailed the UN's immediate and mid-term priorities of providing humanitarian relief and aid, providing security and stability, and helping reconstruct the Haitian economy.

But as we've learned after past disasters, such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, it will take more than governments or UN agencies alone to move beyond tragedy. In the days immediately following the earthquake, my Foundation set up a relief fund and I personally delivered food, water, and much needed medical supplies to Port-au-Prince and the General Hospital there, and met with Haitian officials to inform our continued response.

President Obama also asked President George W. Bush and me to lead a joint fundraising effort to engage Americans and citizens around the world in supporting recovery and rebuilding efforts. We established the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, with funds allocated for reputable organizations providing direct relief and assistance to survivors, including medical care, food, water, shelter, and education, in areas like Port-au-Prince, Jacmel, Saint Martin and Martissant.

Already, we've raised more than $20 million from people like Robert who has been unemployed for seven months; Frank, who is giving what he can from his social security check; and Dawn's class of third-graders who saved $31.74 in pennies for an ice cream party, but decided to donate it to Haiti relief instead. You can donate at www.clintonbushhaitifund.org.

In addition to private citizens and NGOS, the international business community is playing an enormous role in recovery, not just in aid but for job generation. Several sectors will be ripe for opportunities to do business, including agribusiness, tourism, textiles, crop processing, call centers, and alternative energy. Jobs could be generated by addressing other challenges throughout the country, including projects focused on rural infrastructure and communications, rural access to power, and reforestation.

Before the earthquake hit, I believed for the first time in my life that Haiti finally had a chance to create a modern economy and a just society, a nation worthy of the abilities, hard work, and dreams of its people. The President and Prime Minister remain committed to that goal. Continued support from government and international donors, NGOs, the private sector and individual citizens can still give Haiti that chance. But we have to stay focused on the work ahead; we have to keep the aid and assistance flowing; and we have to do so in a way that is coordinated, effective, transparent and accountable, to help the most people in the short run and do the most good over the long run.

In the midst of an awful tragedy, the Haitian people are reimagining a future that the Haitian government is committed to build. It won't be easy, it won't be quick, but it can be done. And we can help.

Following is the first set of responses from Elsie St. Louis-Accilien, the executive director of Haitian-Americans United for Progress.

Thank you for taking the time to put me to the test with very thoughtful questions, some of which may even be beyond my pay grade. As the executive director of the Haitian-Americans United for Progress, I normally deal with issues of domestic import, in particular those that relate to the health and welfare of the residents of the greater Cambria Heights community in Queens. Yet the catastrophic earthquake that devastated a third of my native land has forced us all to provide a most humane response while not forgetting the tough questions.

I will respond to the questions in no particular order, but I hope that though I may not respond to each one of you individually, I will have nonetheless touched upon the concerns that you have raised.

Is Doctors Without Border a good organization to donate to?

— Posted by Tom Delane

Doctors Without Borders, Partners in Health, Oxfam, Catholic Relief Services, and Project Medishare are among the organizations that had viable and worthy programs in Haiti before the earthquake. This allowed them to respond quickly to the emergency and to provide life-saving support to hundreds, perhaps thousands. They are all worthy of your donations. There are many more organizations — some well known and well financed, some not so popular — that are also rising to the challenge and are able to bring resources to bear on the relief efforts.

Bear in mind, however, that just beyond the search and rescue efforts lies the daunting task of keeping the survivors alive through sustained medical care and tending to the physical and emotional trauma of hundreds of thousands.

Yet it is also important to ensure that Haitians are not simply passive recipients of international charity, but that they are put to work immediately so that they can be the primary builders of the Haitian dream. Thus my sincere hope is that the remarkable support and solidarity that you and most people of the world have given Haiti will not fade away once the spotlight is turned off. There will be plenty of opportunities for people wishing to be involved in the rebuilding of Haiti. Just note that bare-bones accommodations are all that will be available in the near future.

Representatives from a dozen countries are meeting in Montreal today to start the discussion about how to rebuild Haiti. Oxfam released its recommendations in a briefing paper called “Reconstructing Haiti.” The main points are pretty similar to those made following other major disasters:

Let the UN play the main coordinating role, put the people of Haiti at the center of the process, and make certain the poor people of Haiti have a clear role, so their needs are prioritized.

A pro-poor reconstruction program in Haiti could help the country improve its environment, help farmers earn a decent living, build earthquake resistant homes and schools, and change millions of lives for the better. To succeed, these efforts must prioritize poor communities. 

Just a few days after the earthquake Tracy Kidder had an op-ed in the New York Times that recommended “The ultimate goal of all aid to Haiti ought to be the strengthening of Haitian institutions, infrastructure and expertise.” It is pretty good advice coming from the author of the excellent book “Mountains Beyond Mountains” about Dr. Paul Farmer and his Partners in Health organization. I would only add that strengthening institutions that represent the needs of poor people will help the reconstruction process deliver for all of Haiti.

Oxfam spends a lot of time and resources working to promote strong institutions. This is an essential part of our approach: Poverty will not end until an empowered citizenry can change power relations. In Haiti, however, many institutions and organizations were badly damaged or even destroyed, so the human institutions, infrastructure and expertise Kidder cites as essential may be the hardest to find right when they are needed the most.

Tags: earthquake, Haiti
Posted in Central America, Mexico & Caribbean, Disasters & conflicts

ShareThis

MONTREAL (AP) -- An effective recovery strategy for Haiti must take into account a sudden rush of thousands of quake survivors from Port-au-Prince into the countryside, where the economy cannot sustain them, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday.

Clinton, speaking to reporters during a break in a daylong conference intended to review and improve the delivery of short-term aid as well as chart a course for long-term recovery, said she was encouraged by the analysis of Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive. He told the conference that the exodus from Port-au-Prince has added a new twist to the post-quake challenge.

"The distribution of people (and) their needs have changed," Bellerive said. "We have to reassess the whole country," in terms of job creation and requirements for housing.

At a closing news conference, Clinton said the U.S. would host an international donors conference for Haitian relief in March at U.N. headquarters in New York.

Save the Children and AmeriCares have partnered to bring medical aid to more than 85,000 Haitians affected by the earthquake.

Westport,-based Save the Children's emergency response team in Haiti has distributed more than 16.5 tons of medical supplies in the town of Leogane and at the general hospital in Port-au-Prince – supplies donated by AmeriCares, the global health and disaster relief organization based in Stamford, Conn.

 "The situation is still dire and children remain the most vulnerable part of the population during emergencies of this magnitude," said Carolyn Miles, Chief Operating Officer of Save the Children. "But with the help of our long-time partner, AmeriCares, our health team is getting medical treatment to thousands of children and their families."

"Haitian hospitals had little to begin with, but now they have nothing – no pain medicines for patients with trauma injuries and no anesthesia for patients who need surgery," said Elizabeth Furst Frank, Senior Vice President of Global Programs for AmeriCares. "AmeriCares is proud to deliver lifesaving medicines and supplies to our health care partner, Save the Children. Our work together will benefit earthquake survivors in the days, weeks and months ahead."