Haiti

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Preparedness for wind-related hazards in Haiti; International Association for Wind Engineering (IAWE) & International Group for Wind-Related Disaster Risk Reduction (IG-WRDRR), 2010

This document aims at warning Haitians about the possibility of coming wind related hazards. It intends to provide them with basic guidelines for mitigation. It recommends that local people and authorities have a “Preparedness Plan” for wind-related disaster prevention and reduction.

It provides: (i) some general information about wind-related hazards such as hurricanes, and their impacts and damage mechanisms; (ii) evacuation and shelters recommendations; (iii) tips for houses reinforcement, including for those damaged by the earthquake and building of new houses; and (iv) recommended actions for local authorities before, (v) during, and (vi) after wind-related hazards.

Rebuilding the social, cultural and intellectual fabric of Haiti: concept note; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 2010

This concept note addresses one main lesson learned by United Nations agencies regarding international disaster assistance following the 12 January 2010 earthquake in Haiti: to build back better. The paper states that short term emergency measures must be immediately linked to and integrated with mid- and long-term recovery programmes.

It highlights UNESCO's tsunami early warning systems and disaster risk reduction efforts to support to local institutions so as to help them improve resilience to natural disasters, including earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and other natural hazards. It calls for sustained efforts on Haiti's parts and of the international community and the friends of Haiti to help Haitians recover and rebuild encompassing a complex development effort.

Haiti at a Glance

Haiti is a country of 9 million people, where 80 percent of the population lives on less than $2 a day and half of the food is imported (according to Ban Ki-moon in March 2009)

Haiti is highly vulnerable to torrential rains, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, landslides and droughts. This vulnerability is greatly influenced and exacerbated by the country's poverty, continuous state of complex emergency and environmental degradation. Haiti is the poorest and only Least Developed Country in the Western Hemisphere. A vicious circle of poverty, political and economic instability, violence, and lack of infrastructure are some of the most pressing underlying causes for the country's low level of preparedness.

Haiti - Disaster Statistics

Disasters from 1980 - 2008:

No. of events: 65

No. of people killed: 8,165

Average killed per year: 282

No. of people affected: 7,220,916

Average affected per year: 248,997

Ecomomic Damage (US$ X 1,000): 823,906

Ecomomic Damage per year (US$ X 1,000): 28,411

Without political stability and sufficient economic resources, virtually no attention has been geared toward the effective operation of Haiti's national meteorological component, an early warning system and disaster reduction. Environmental degradation, too, poses a serious problem. Widespread deforestation, partly caused by the country's charcoal production, shows a direct increase in the risk of floods and landslides.

Following the civil unrest and political crisis of the beginning of 2004, the United Nations Security Council, on April 30, 2004, created the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti to assist in restoring political order and economic recovery. An Interim Cooperation Framework was set up for the transition period 2004-2006. This led to the creation of 10 thematic groups on priority issues, one of which is the Thematic Environmental Group. This group has outlined three priority interventions involving environmental management: 1) reduction of pressure on wood resources, 2) improved environmental resource management and planning, and 3) sustainable and integrated disaster risk management through the implementation of a National Risk and Disaster Management Plan.

The national civil protection agency is in charge of risk and disaster management activities. The system has several coordination levels and includes 10 ministries and the Haitian Red Cross. It is headed by the National Committee of Risk and Disaster Management, led by the Ministry of Interior. The Directorate of Civil Protection supports the Ministry of Interior in this function. A second level of coordination is at the technical and executive level where executives of ministries and agencies meet to form the Permanent Secretariat of Risk and Disaster Management, led by the General Directorate of the Ministry of Interior.

Institutional arrangements

Under the transitional government established in February 2004, disaster management has been assigned directly to the Directorate of Civil Protection. The government intends to increase the capacity of this directorate by transforming it into a General Directorate. Its role is expected to go beyond disaster assistance by setting up an active programme of mitigation. It plans to establish a national risk reduction strategy and supervise mitigation and preparedness activities of the different ministries and organizations. Document of National Strategy for Growth and Poverty Reduction gives a transversal character to the management of risks and disasters. Haiti has a National Management System for risks and disasters. It also has had since 2001 a Risks and Disasters Plan.

UNISDR in Haiti

In November of 2007, Haiti hosted the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) High-Level Conference on Disaster Reduction, held in Saint-Marc, Haiti during which a number of initiatives between UNISDR, UNDP and the Haitian Civil Defense were agreed upon with the aim to provide coherent support to the Haitian government in strengthening capacities in DRR.

A national training is scheduled for September of 2009 through the UNISDR Americas ILO/DELNET training course of disaster reduction in the framework of local sustainable development. In the past two years, UNISDR also worked with UNDP, ILO and UNOSAT to provide training opportunities to a small number of Haitian disaster reduction professionals.

Furthermore, UNISDR has provided information management tools and training together with the Regional Disaster Information Center (CRID) to several Haitian institutions.

HFA National Reports

National Report 2007: Unreported

National Report 2006: Unreported

National Report 2005: Haiti National Report 2005 (28 October 2005 – English)

National Report 2004: National Report in Preparation for WCDR (2004) – Haiti (French)

National Platform

No Platform reported

Despite Haiti's broad spectrum of problems, there is a good political opportunity to promote the set-up of a National Platform for Disaster Reduction. There is enough political and institutional partnership in Haiti (including support from UNDP, UNISDR and others) to formally aim for such a National Platform.

During the First Meeting of the Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas, held in March 2009 in Panama, the Haitian delegation expressed the will that the country set up a National Platform.

HFA National Focal Point

Direction de Protection Civil (DPC)

Address: Interior Ministry, The Territorial Collectivities and the National Security, Ministre Palace, Port-au-Prince 83, Rue Armand Holly Debussy

HFA Contact person:

Mme. Alta Jean-Baptiste, Director

Phone: (509) 34612228, (509)-228-25-37/222-22-84, Fax:(509)-228-231

E-mail: altajeanbaptiste@yahoo.com

Supporting National Focal Point

National Disaster Risk Management System Development Program, UNDP Haiti

Tel: (509) 245-0319

UN Contacts

Permanent Mission of Haiti to the United Nations in Geneva

Chief:

Mr. Jean-Claude Pierre

Minister Counsellor

Chargé d'affaires a.i.

Address: Rue de Monthoux 64, 1201 Geneva

Tel: +(41-22) 732-7628, Fax: +(41-22) 732-5536

E-mail: mission.haiti@ties.itu.int

UN System Coordination

UNDG: UNCT Haiti

UN Resident Coordinator

Mr. Joel Boutroue

E-mail: joel.boutroue@undp.org

Other contacts

ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency) International

URL: http://www.adra.org

Christian Aid - UK

URL: http://www.christianaid.org.uk

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) - USA

URL: http://www.crs.org/

Caritas Internationalis

URL: http://www.caritas.org

Medecins Sans Frontieres

World Vision

Tel: + (509) 2513-1153 (Port-Au-Prince)

URL: http://www.visionmundial.org/

January 2010 Earthquake

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The devastating earthquake that hit Haiti (in January) may have caused billions of dollars more in damage than initially estimated, according to a study released on Tuesday (February 12) by the Inter-American Development Bank.

The study, based on a statistical analysis of data from 2,000 natural disasters over 40 years, estimates that the cost could be $7.2 billion to $13.2 billion, based on a death toll of 200,000 to 250,000; earlier estimates had hovered around $5 billion.

The authors — Eduardo A. Cavallo, Andrew Powell and Oscar Becerra — said their early snapshot was “useful to put this event into perspective and to inform the international community of the enormity of the challenge that lies ahead in the task of reconstructing Haiti.”

But they underlined their caution about the exact figures, writing: “We cannot know if the experience with past episodes around the world will be relevant for Haiti. Every event is different, and although we control for country and regional specific characteristics in the regression, we could have missed something.”

A more comprehensive estimate of damages is under way by experts at the Inter-American bank, the World Bank and the United Nations Development Fund. But it is already clear, the development bank’s economists said, that the “sum will be beyond the scope of one agency or one bilateral donor” and require significant international cooperation to manage.

Established 60 years ago, the Inter-American Development Bank, based in Washington, has 48 members, including 26 Latin American and Caribbean countries. The United States is its strongest single member.

The authors note that Haiti’s economy is likely to be stunted by the earthquake for many years, citing an earlier study that shows that “even 10 years after a major disaster, the affected country growth may be some 30 percent below what growth would have been.”

In terms of rebuilding Haiti’s homes, schools, roads and other infrastructure, the study released Tuesday said, the cost is expected to be many times lower than that of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, a result of the far higher costs of property in the United States. Katrina’s price tag was put at more than $100 billion.

But in terms of Haiti’s economy coupled with the number of deaths per million inhabitants — Haiti’s population was at 8.7 million before the earthquake struck — the development bank’s study estimates Haiti’s quake is likely to be the most destructive natural disaster in modern times. It caused five times more deaths per million inhabitants, the bank said, than the second-ranking natural killer, the 1972 earthquake in Nicaragua. The Haiti quake will be vastly more destructive that the Asian tsunami in 2004 and the cyclone that hit Myanmar in 2008. The astronomical figures were difficult to fathom for Haiti’s traumatized residents, but they certainly agreed that the earthquake’s damage had been profound.

“All those buildings, the cars, the collapsed houses, a lot has been lost,” said Jean Philippe Dorzin, 32, interviewed on the edge of a vast squatter camp in Port-au-Prince’s Champ de Mars, where thousands of displaced people now live within sight of the damaged National Palace and other destroyed government buildings. “One thing we’ll never recover is all the people we’ve lost. You can’t put a price on them.”

(Source: New York Times; Marc Lacey, February 16, 2010 - see article)

Ten percent of relief aid should be allocated to building safer houses, hospitals and schools - UNISDR News briefs; 12 Feb 2010

As relief continues to be the main priority for thousands of Haitians who have been affected by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Port-au-Prince, the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) and its partners are working together to ensure that disaster risk reduction principles are fully integrated into the different phases of the Haitian reconstruction process.

“More than ever, Haiti is in a vulnerable situation due to the upcoming rainy and hurricane seasons. There is great urgency now to give particular attention to structural safety for temporary schools, hospitals and camp settlements,” said Margareta Wahlström, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction. “Camps must be built in safe locations with resistant materials and adequate drainage systems to be able to withstand the next hurricane season. The entire international community shares a collective responsibility to reduce the vulnerability of thousands of Haitians to new, imminent disasters.”

In the past decade, Haiti has suffered significant losses from hurricanes. The 2008 season was particularly severe as Haiti experienced four hurricanes in a row. Mudslides are another risk that Haitians may face if rainfalls are significant.

UNISDR is working with donors and UN partners to ensure that Haiti’s schools, hospitals and houses will be rebuilt in a manner that integrates strategic planning to mitigate these multi- hazard risks.

“It will take a minimum of ten years to rebuild Haiti but it is important to start building safer schools, hospitals and critical infrastructure now. It costs much less to integrate disaster risk reduction principles into the design of new construction than to retrofit existing buildings. The 2009 Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction recommended allocating ten percent of relief aid to disaster risk reduction. It is our hope that 10 percent of the estimated US$ 10 billion reconstruction effort will focus on reducing Haiti’s vulnerability to disasters, which are a recurring threat to the Haitian people,” said Wahlström.

Just as collapsed buildings and unstable land were the prime contributing factors to the high death toll during the Haitian earthquake, so too is corruption another concern that must be addressed. “We also need to ensure that corruption does not undermine reconstruction efforts, particularly as the building sector in Haiti has witnessed severe corruption cases in the past. Cutting corners and using sub-standard building practices contributed to the significant loss of life,” said Wahlström.

UNISDR and its partners will participate in the revised flash appeal to be launched soon with its partners, and is already working with the entire disaster risk reduction community to ensure that a multi-hazard approach is adopted at the next International Conference for the Reconstruction of Haiti, to be held this April in New York. The secretariat is working with the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (CEDMA), UN system agencies, the IFRC, and the International Code Council to ensure a regional and coherent approach in the Haiti reconstruction.

Notes:

The Second Session of the Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction (Geneva, 15-19 June 2009) recommended targeting the equivalent of 10 per cent of humanitarian relief funds to disaster risk reduction work. Similarly, a 10 per cent figure was proposed as a target share of post-disaster reconstruction and recovery projects and national preparedness and response plans. Calls were also made for at least 1 per cent of all national development funding and all development assistance funding to be allocated to risk reduction measures.

For more information please contact:

Brigitte Leoni, Media Relations

Tel: +41 22 917 8897

leonib@un.org

www.unisdr.org

(Source: UNISDR News briefs; 12 Feb 2010)

January 2010 Earthquake

According to the UN Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), the 7.0 magnitude earthquake of January 12 has caused major damage in the Port-au-Prince area, as well as in Jacmel. The National Palace, the Cathedral, the Ministry of Justice and other important Government offices have been destroyed. Hotels, hospitals, schools and the national penitentiary have all suffered extensive damage.

Casualties, which are vast, can only be estimated. An unknown number – tens if not hundreds of thousands – have suffered varying degrees of destruction to their homes. While the earthquake was felt as far afield as Les Cayes in the southwest and Gonaives to the north, little destruction has been reported in far-flung areas of the country. However, in the capital region, destruction is massive and broad, while Haitian services are visibly unable to cope.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that immediate health priorities in Haiti include search and rescue of survivors trapped underneath rubble plus the treatment of people with major trauma injuries. Other priorities are: the prevention of the infection of wounds, the provision of clean water and sanitation and ensuring breast-feeding is continued. WHO says that control of communicable diseases, such as diarrhoea diseases and respiratory infections, will be another major concern in coming days.

For more information & the latest updates, please see ReliefWeb Haiti: Earthquakes - Jan 2010

UNISDR calls for long-term measures to rebuild a safer Haiti - UNISDR News brief, 22 Jan 2010

“We shall continue working with the Haitian Government and other partners to help rebuild a safer Haiti. Hopefully, no new hospital, school or public structure will be built without integrating disaster risk reduction principles into its design and construction. Disaster risk reduction is the best investment that nations and communities can make to reduce future disaster impacts and protect their people and assets,” said Margareta Wahlström, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Haiti’s burden is heavy, but there is also a new opportunity today to engage with the international community that is genuinely supportive, to plan a determined reconstruction effort that will ensure its long-term safety and stability. The UNISDR will promote and contribute to the recovery process using its expertise and networks to ensure an effective risk reduction approach.

See full article on PreventionWeb

Haiti: how to rebuild a country already in crisis?

15 Jan 2010 / Written by: Laurie Goering

LONDON (AlertNet) - Perhaps the most daunting task facing international players who have come to Haiti's rescue after a massive earthquake left thousands of people dead and trapped under rubble will be trying to rebuild a country weakened by two centuries of conflict, dictatorship and corrupt leadership.

Foreign powers, international aid agencies and world donors have all rallied to help the impoverished Caribbean island nation after a massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday that left countless people homeless. Hospitals, government buildings and headquarters of some foreign aid missions, including a United Nations peacekeeping force, were all devastated in the quake. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the extent of the damage "biblical" and "a tragedy". "The magnitude of this emergency, while we don't know the specifics, may very well approach the (2004) tsunami in southeast Asia," said Rick Perera, a spokesman for aid agency CARE who was flying to Port-au-Prince on Thursday. "The number of dead is certainly in the many tens of thousands."

The earthquake, the worst to hit Haiti in over 200 years, struck as the country was still struggling to recover from a series of hurricanes and tropical storms in 2008 that killed about 800 people and caused nearly $900 million in damage. The new disaster is expected to be far worse, aid workers say, not only because its epicentre was near Port-au-Prince, a hilly capital surrounded by slums, but because much of the government's limited capacity to respond to the crisis was destroyed in the quake.

The literal collapse of Haiti's banks means getting remittance money -- a crucial source of national income -- into the country may prove difficult for weeks or months to come. Government institutions in one of the world's most unstable nations have become even more precarious after the buildings that once housed them were flattened. Now "the state is even more of an abstraction," said Eduardo Gamarra, an expert on Haiti and the Dominican Republic at Florida International University.

Perpetual Upheaval

Haiti often seems in perpetual upheaval, having struggled for centuries with deep-seated corruption, a string of dictators and repeated foreign political and military intervention. U.N. peacekeeping forces have been helping maintain order since the last revolt in 2004. Two centuries after gaining its independence from France as the world's first black republic, it is one of the world's most unequal societies. Desperation, frustration and simmering anger among the country's legions of poor, not least at the privileges of the very rich, regularly erupt into rioting, gang violence, kidnapping and political upheaval.

Haiti, in many respects, is less a failed state than a country that never fully managed to become a functioning nation, experts say. "For it to be a failed state you have to assume Haiti had a state. But political instability over two centuries has meant the state has never had any capacity to implement basic public policy and care for its citizens," Gamarra said. More than three-quarters of its people live on less than $2 a day. Around two-thirds are unemployed and the country scrapes by on a budget largely composed of foreign aid and remittances from Haitians abroad. With few state-run schools, only three in five children attend classes, and even privately-run schools cram an average of 78 pupils into each classroom. Many rural areas have no schools at all, according to a 2009 report by the United States Institute of Peace. "The state's lack of capacity to render public services has resulted in the virtual absence of the government as a positive presence in citizens' lives," Robert Magure, a Haiti expert at Trinity Washington University, wrote in the September report.

"Close Down the State"

Another worrying sign is Haiti's fast-growing population, which combined with a tradition of dividing already tiny plots of farmland among children, has left the country increasingly unable to feed itself. Desperate for income, rural dwellers have cut down 98% of the country's once-verdant forests to produce charcoal, Haiti's main fuel. The rampant deforestation has led to widespread soil erosion, worsening the plight of farmers, leaving millions in the hilly nation vulnerable to landslides and flooding, and forcing a growing flood of rural Haitians into fetid slums outside the country's main cities.

Gamarra believes the only effective solution to Haiti's long-term problems may be to put the country into international hands, at least for a time. "There's only one thing you can do. You close down the state and put it into international receivership," he said. Wooing foreign investment into the country to better its economic prospects has been a top priority of former U.S. President Bill Clinton in his current role as U.N. special envoy for Haiti.

But is it enough?

Magure, of the U.S. Institute for Peace, says moving Haiti away from its "unacceptable suffering and cycle of conflict" will be difficult even with financial assistance. "As prior experience in Haiti instructs, the international commitment of human, material and financial resources alone does not hold the key to success, even when coupled with development strategies and plans," he wrote in the report.

(Source: Reuters AlertNet - Haiti: how to rebuild a country already in crisis?

Country profile

Official Name: Conventional long form: Republic of Haiti.

Local Long Form: Republique d'Haiti/Repiblik d' Ayiti.

local short form: Haiti/Ayiti

Capital: Port-au-Prince

Area: 27,750 sq km (land: 27,560 sq km and water: 190 sq km)

Coastline: 1,771 km

Population: 9,035,536

Population density: 8,706,497 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.)

Ethnic Groups: black 95%, mulatto and white 5%

Religion: Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3% note: roughly half of the population practices voodoo

Official Language: French (official), Creole (official)

Government: Republic

Currency: Gourde (HTG)

Climate: Tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds. Wetter period between April and October; winters are warm and sunny and summers hot.

Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti (République d'Haïti; Repiblik Ayiti) is a Caribbean country. Along with the Dominican Republic, it occupies the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago. Ayiti (land of high mountains) was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the mountainous western side of the island. The country's highest point is Pic la Selle, at 2,680 metres (8,793 ft). The total area of Haiti is 27,750 square kilometres (10,714 sq mi) and its capital is Port-au-Prince. Haitian Creole and French are the official languages.

Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world with a nominal GDP of 7.018 billion USD in 2009, which represents a per capita GDP of only 790 USD annually or about $2 per person per day. The illiteracy rate stands at 50%, and just 40% of Haiti’s population has access to basic health care according to the United Nations Human Development Index (2006).

Years of conflicts, political instability and recurrent disasters such as cyclones, floods and mudslides have weakened Haiti’s already low capacity to invest in the long-term safety of its citizens.

International Disputes:

Since 2004, about 8,000 peacekeepers from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) maintain civil order in Haiti; despite efforts to control illegal migration, Haitians cross into the Dominican Republic and sail to neighboring countries; Haiti claims US-administered Navassa Island.

Administratives Division 10 departments (departments, singular - departement): 1. Artibonite,

2. Centre,

3. Grand 'Anse,

4. Nippes,

5. Nord,

6. Nord-Est,

7. Nord-Ouest,

8. Ouest,

9. Sud,

10. Sud-Est

Haiti is highly vulnerable to hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, landslides and droughts. This vulnerability is greatly influenced and exacerbated by the country's poverty, continuous state of complex emergency and environmental degradation.

Haiti is the poorest and only Least Developed country in the Western Hemisphere. A vicious circle of poverty, political and economic instability, violence, and lack of infrastructure are some of the most pressing underlying causes for the country's low level of preparedness. Without political stability and sufficient economic resources, virtually no attention has been geared toward the effective operation of Haiti's national meteorological component, an early warning system and disaster reduction. Environmental degradation, too, poses a serious problem. Widespread deforestation, partly caused by the country's charcoal production, shows a direct increase in the risk of floods and landslides.

The most recent serious disaster in Haiti occurred in September 2004 when Tropical Storm Jeanne caused flash floods and mudslides. These floods caused the loss of 3000 lives, affected approximately 300,000 people, destroyed around 4500 houses and cut the access roads to many villages for days. Just a few months earlier, in May 2004, 17 hours of continuous rain caused flash floods and landslides. More than 100,000 people were affected and some 1700 houses destroyed. Smaller scale disasters occur frequently, also causing enormous impacts on the population and on economic assets.

Source: ISDR/CIA Factbook/CDRA/

Haiti ranks as one of the countries with the highest exposure to multiple hazards, according to the World Bank’s Natural Disaster Hotspot study (World Bank, Natural Disaster Hotspots, A Global Risk Analysis (Washington, DC: Disaster Risk Management Series, 2005), table 1.2). Haiti lies in the middle of the Caribbean Basin and has the 5th highest mortality risk to two or more hazards. With 96% of its population living at risk, Haiti has the highest vulnerability rating in terms of cyclones (Including tropical depression, storms and hurricanes) among the region’s small island states (12.9 on a scale of 13according to Reducing Disaster Risk, a Challenge for Development, UNDP 2004) . The effects of cyclones include wind damage, flooding, land/mudslides and coastal surges.

Severe environmental degradation and the presence of settlements in low lying areas and floodplains are key contributing factors towards the country’s vulnerability. Further contributing factors include high levels of poverty, weak public infrastructure, a history of ineffective governments and serious fiscal problems. In addition to the hydrometeorological hazards, Haiti is also located in a seismically active zone, intersected by two fault lines. The country’s high population density (up to 40,000 km2 in Port-au-Prince) coupled with the large number of informal structures and weak public and private infrastructure render the state and its population particularly vulnerable.

Economic losses from adverse natural events are increasing in Haiti. As more assets are created and concentrated, losses from adverse natural events are increasing. This is demonstrated by the events of August and September 2008, which Tropical Storm Fay and Hurricanes Gustav, Hannah and Ike (FGHI) affected Haiti during a three week period resulting in damage and losses equivalent to 15% of the country’s GDP. FGHI represented the largest evaluated disaster in Haiti’s history.

Haiti’s seismic risk

With two active seismic fault lines, Haiti has experienced a number of severe seismic events (including of course the devastating events of January 2010). The frequency for earthquakes of 7 or above on the Richter scale is estimated at once every 150-200 years and the most recent quake (prior to 2010) occurred in 1842. (Even prior to the 2010 quakes,) the recent collapse of several buildings, most notably the La Promesse School, which resulting in over 90 deaths, was a sharp reminder of the weak and unregulated public construction sector and the potential implications should a significant seismic event occur.

The implications of climate change on the intensity and frequency of adverse natural events underscores the importance of a proactive approach to disaster risk reduction (DRR). According to the report of the Climate Investment Fund’s Pilot Program for Climate Resilience Expert Group, Haiti is one of the 10 global climate change hotspots. The inability or failure of a government to address its vulnerability and to support the mitigation of risk can drastically undermine its natural rate of growth and overall poverty reduction efforts.

Haiti’s Disaster Risk Management Framework

The National Disaster Risk Management System (NDRMS) in Haiti was signed into effect in 2001 by 10 key line ministers and the President of the Haitian Red Cross. The NDRMS has achieved significant results in the areas of disaster preparedness and response since its inception. While the 2004 hurricane season resulted in 5,000 casualties over 300,000 affected people, FGHI resulted in less than 800 casualties over 865,000 affected people. Strong collaboration between the key members of the NDRMS and its technical and financial partners (TFP - including International Financial Institutions (IFIs), bilateral donors, NGOs and the private sector ) was critical to improving the speed and efficiency of the response.

While efforts to further strengthen the NDRMS’ preparation and response capacities continue, there is a greater need to focus on protecting investments as well as livelihoods in order to transition from a ´living at risk´ to ´living with risk´ approach. Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) has been included as a key cross cutting priority in the Government of Haiti’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP: 2008-2011) and as a principle pillar of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF:2009-2011), as well as the World Bank’s Country Assistance Strategy (CAS: 2009-2011). This demonstrates a growing consensus within the Government of Haiti and amongst its TFP of the importance of integrating DRR as a critical component of a successful poverty reduction and economic growth strategy.

Haiti’s hard won development gains are often jeopardized by adverse natural events.

Given Haiti’s risk profile and its existing framework for disaster risk management, the key priority in Haiti is to reduce the level of extreme vulnerability through a comprehensive disaster risk reduction approach targeting all phases (recovery, reconstruction, prevention, and mitigation). Strategic actions are needed in the following areas to enhance disaster risk management in Haiti: (i) strengthen institutional capacity for strategic planning and coordination at central and local levels, (ii) mainstream DRR in specific sectors, and (iii) develop a comprehensive risk assessment and monitoring capacity.

Source: GFDRR – Haiti Country Program for Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation 2009-2011)

Urbanization, Urban Risk and City Resilience

Port-au-Prince

In Shanghai, Port-au-Prince Mayor urges local governments to develop “a culture of security”

Mayor of Port-au-Prince urges local governments to develop “a culture of security” at disaster risk reduction forum in Shanghai

Geneva – “Local governments need to develop a culture of security and have access to the means to respond to a catastrophe,” stressed Haiti’s Mayor of Port-au-Prince to other mayors gathered at a forum on disaster risk reduction in Shanghai.

Mayor Jean Yves Jason said his key message to other mayors, based on the experience of Port-au-Prince after January’s devastating earthquake was, “Be ready.”

With the hurricane season starting, Mayor Jason said his priority was to ensure enough capacity to provide for people’s safety, through better information and simulation drills. “My people still live in a very precarious situation,” he explained, adding that 70 per cent of his staff had perished in the quake and that he still had “not seen any of the pledged help to rebuild Port-au-Prince”.

Mr. Jason was among one hundred local government officials taking part in the 28-30 July Shanghai Forum on Disaster Risk Reduction organized by DevNet, ICLEI, UN-Habitat, UNISDR with support from the International Recovery Platform and GROOTS at the sidelines of the 2010 Shanghai Expo, “Better City, Better Life.”

Forum participants agreed on ways to link recovery with long-term economic development plans and promote disaster risk reduction as part of the Millennium Development Goals. They also committed to using disaster risk reduction as a tool to reduce weather-related disaster impacts. Such commitments will advance the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action, a ten-year plan to reduce disaster losses endorsed by 168 Member States in 2005.

Source: UNISDR News brief, 30 July 2010

Urban indicators

Statistical Overview

Urbanisation:

Total Population: 8 million

Urban population: 36%

Slum to urban population: 86%

Annual population growth rates:

Urban: 4%

Slum: 4%

Slum Indicators - % urban population with access to

Safe water source: 49%

Improved sanitation: 51%

Sufficient living area: 65%

Durable housing: 87%

(Based on UN-Habitat 2001 estimates)

Indicator	2030
Total population (thousands)	12,994.2
Population in urban (thousands)	8,832.9
Population in slums (thousands)	N/A
Population in urban areas (% of total population)	68
Population in slums (% of urban population)	N/A
Annual urban population growth rate (%)	N/A
Annual slum population growth rate (%)	N/A
Population with access to improved sanitation (% of urban population)	N/A
Population with access to improved water (% of urban population)	N/A
Population with sufficient living area (% of urban population)	N/A
Population with durable structures (% of urban population)	N/A
Population in rural (thousands)	4,161.2

Source: UN-Habitat - The data presented here is extracted from UN-HABITAT's Global Urban Indicators database.

The data is drawn from different sources and based on 2030 estimates.

Related Initiatives

A number of initiatives between UN/ISDR, UNDP and the Haitian Civil Defense were agreed upon during UN/ISDR’s attendance at the ACS High-Level Conference on Disaster Reduction, held in Saint-Marc, Haiti from November 14-16, 2007 with the aim to provide coherent support to the Haitian government in strengthening capacities in DRR.

Climate change

Haiti's First National Communication on Climate Change to the UNFCC (French, January 2002)

Recent progress towards the implementation of the HFA

Haiti: Statement made at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (2009) (French only)

An Official Statement made by H.E. Mr. Jean Max Bellerive, Minister of Planning, Haiti, at the second session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, June 2009.

Commitments and proposals mentioned at GP09:

Need to include vulnerability reduction in the development agenda
Organization of post-disaster aid in 3 phases: 1) Humanitarian aid; 2) recapitalisation; 3) reconstruction

Concrete advancements and achievements mentioned at GP09:

PA1: Establishment of a National DRR Management System which has already prevented significant loss of life.
PA3: Community resilience to be a primary focus of the government and is already leading to good results.

HFA P1 - Institutional and legal framework:

Methodology for the design of local flood hazard maps in support of the UTSIG (Ministry of planning).

Two pilot maps have been produced.

The authorities requested the support for the installation of disaster data base DESINVENTAR. Two pilot flood early warning systems are being installed in Fonds-Verrettes and Camp Perrin areas.

Currently, support is being provided for the design of a National early warning system.

These events will feed into the implementation of a broader project involving the installation of EWS throughout the country(funded by the IADB)

(Source: Matrix Final - based on 2005 national progress report)

HFA P2 - Risk identification and EWS

N/A

HFA P3 - Knowledge and education:

National training strategy that is being developed. It considers the development of a national training manual

An awareness campaign was launched for the 2005 hurricane season, focusing on risks related to hurricanes, storm and floods

HFA P4 - Risk applications:

In 2005 UNDP was preparing a programme support document for the period

HFA P5 - Preparedness and response:

The direction civil protection has developed a national action plan for 2005 hurricane season which was tested, together with the UN inter agency contingency plan, during two simulation exercise conducted end of May/early June 2005.

General Information:

Hurricane season 2008:

In August / September 2008, four successive hurricanes and tropical storms hit Haiti, affecting more than 800,000 people and causing economic losses estimated at 15 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). According to Government figures, the hurricanes and tropical storms Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike caused 793 deaths and injured 548 people. (CRED)

Season of dread returns as Haiti awaits devastating hurricane season

Suzanne Goldenberg; The Guardian, 17 August 2009

Haiti, with IDB assistance, to rebuild schools hit by hurricanes - IDB News Releases; Jun 24, 2009

The Inter-American Development Bank (on June 24, 2009) approved a $20.5 million grant to help Haiti rebuild and equip schools destroyed or damaged by last year’s hurricanes or in dire need of repairs.

OAS: Support for Socioeconomic Development and Sustainable Political Stability in Haiti

Organization of American States (OAS); 2009 - AG/RES. 2487 (XXXIX-O/09)

Adopted at the fourth plenary session, held on June 4, 2009

Haiti's Big Chance - an article authored by Ban Ki-mon, Secretary-General, United Nations. New York Times, 30 March 2009

2007 U.S. trade legislation - HOPE II, as the act is known, offers Haiti duty-free, quota-free access to U.S. markets for the next nine years.

EM-DAT:OFDA/CRED International Disaster Database: Natural Disasters Haiti

EM-DAT:OFDA/CRED International Disaster Database: Technological Disasters Haiti

UNDP Disaster Risk Index Haiti entry

Policies and Programmes

In 2009, GFDRR prepared a Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management and Climate Adaptation Program for Haiti in close consultation with the government and development partners. However, due to the January 12, 2010 earthquake, the Country Program will need to be fully revised and aligned with the Haiti recovery and Reconstruction Strategy (As of April 30, 2010)

UNDP / Government of Haiti Reinforcement of National Capacities in Risk and Disaster Management

World Bank/Government of Haiti Emergency Recovery and Disaster Management Project

Inter-American Development Bank/Government of Haiti National Programme of Flood Early Warning, December 2004

Others Documents

Good practices for hazard risk management in agriculture: Summary report Haiti

Source(s): Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Publication date: 2007

National System for Risk and Disaster Management, Haiti (PPT / 2.01 MB)

Presented at the ACS High-Level Conference on Disaster Reduction

Saint-Marc, Haiti; November 14-16, 2007

Remarks by the Prime Minister (a.i.) of Haiti

ACS High-Level Conference on Disaster Reduction

Saint-Marc, Haiti; November 14-16, 2007

Impact of Natural Disasters on the Development of Tourism in Haiti (PPT / 9.66 MB)

Mr. Patrick Delatour; Minister of Tourism, Haiti

Presented at the ACS High-Level Conference on Disaster Reduction

Saitn-Marc, Haiti; November 14-16, 2007

Outcome of the 2×9 Mechanism for Haiti Meeting (White Helmets Comission – Argentina)

Coordination of a Joint Response Plan for Disasters by Countries of the 2x9 Mechanism for Haiti

Status of Hazard Maps, Vulnerability Assessments and Digital Maps:Haiti Country Report; CDRA, 2003

The Hurricane Georges in Haití, 1999

Web Links

PreventionWeb: Haiti - Disaster Statistics

Haiti Coordination Profile; United Nations Development Group (includes Common Country Assessment - CCA, United Nations Development Assistance Framework - UNDAF, MDG Reports, Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper - PRSP, UN Country Team, Resident Coordinator's Office and more)

RELIEFWEB

Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) - Affiliate of the Organization of American States OAS

USAID-Haiti Work in Education

Research papers

MDG Profile: Haiti

Haiti's National Climate Change Website (Ministry of Environment, Haiti)

Retrieved from "http://www.eird.org/country-profiles/profiles/index.php/Haiti"


International Strategy for Disaster Reduction The Americas