ACDI/VOCA Begins Relief and Recovery Efforts in Southeast Department of Haiti

ACDI/VOCA is working with local civil sector agencies, NGOs, USAID and UN agencies including UNICEF, the World Food Programme and the UN peacekeeping mission, to aid in relief and begin assessing the on-the-ground situation in Haiti following last week’s 7.0-magnitude earthquake.

The largest-operating international NGO in the Southeast Department, which was hit hard by the quake, ACDI/VOCA is currently working to support assessments, distribution and relief efforts in Jacmel, Cote de Fer, Bainet La Vallée and Belle Anse.

While ACDI/VOCA’s original project aims to remain intact, and in fact the needs for agricultural development are more pronounced than ever, it is clear that much of the project’s focus will have to shift to recovery.

“Jacmel is a disaster zone. Many houses are collapsed or severely damaged, and we fear many people have perished,” said Emmet Murphy, ACDI/VOCA-Haiti chief of party. “We'll be working with the key emergency response players. There are many displaced people, and they will need food, water, shelter and other emergency items.”

According to an initial survey by CROSE (La Coordination Régionale des Organisations de Sud-Est), nearly 1,800 families have lost their homes in Jacmel town with 1,039 buildings partially destroyed and 151 buildings collapsed. Nearby communes have similarly been affected, such as in Cotes de Fer where 1,300 families have lost their homes.

To help immediate relief efforts, ACDI/VOCA has provided its stock of megaphones and flashlights to help with search and rescue efforts by the Jacmel fire department, which lacked enough equipment.

Immediate food needs are apparent. Two days after the quake the WFP distributed high-energy biscuits to 4,000 people, an increase from the day before. ACDI/VOCA will assist the WFP in assessing the amount of food needed for the next three months for the Jacmel area.

There are approximately 50,000 people in Jacmel town and 150,000 people in the Commune of Jacmel, and the World Food Programme has initially estimated that 80 percent of the population in Jacmel will need food aid.

ACDI/VOCA will work to conduct assessments using Haitian government forms, with priority communes being the most vulnerable. Accessing areas which lie outside of Jacmel town will be difficult with the current impassable road conditions. As communications to the field and road access improves ACDI/VOCA will expand assessments to all program areas.

Before Jan. 12th's earthquake, the purpose of ACDI/VOCA’s work in Haiti was to improve livelihoods and food security in the Southeast Department of Haiti, one of the most inaccessible and food-insecure regions. Click here to learn more. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to keep updated on ACDI/VOCA's response to the situation.

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ACDI/VOCA Begins Relief and Recovery Efforts in Southeast Department of Haiti

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