Death toll rises after 7.2 earthquake in Haiti

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Highlights

  • +1200 people dead, +2000 injured according to latest reports
  • Rampant insecurity and destroyed roads challenge deployment of humanitarian aid
  • World Vision will focus its relief response on water, shelter and food
  • The humanitarian agency has sent nutrition kits and hygiene for 6,000 people, from Dominican Republic
Damage from Haiti earthquake August 14, 2021.
The St. Louis King of France Cathedral is a religious building belonging to the Catholic Church. The cathedral sustained extensive damage on October 5, 2016 due to Hurricane Matthew. The cathedral has sustained even more damage from the earthquake on August 14, 2021 at least the top section was broken and rubble lie at the porch.

PORT-AU-PRINCE (August 15, 2021) — The window to send urgent humanitarian aid to affected people in Haiti, by yesterday’s 7.2-magnitude earthquake is closing in, as a tropical storm Grace approaches the country, warned the Christian humanitarian organization, World Vision.

“In the coming hours, we are expecting a tropical storm that has already activated red alerts in neighboring Dominican Republic,” explained Marcelo Viscarra, World Vision’s national director in Haiti. “Thousands of people remain in the streets as they search for loved ones and try to collect a few of their belongings under the rubble,” he added.

Recent reports account for 1297 dead and 2000 injured. Hundreds are still missing.

The relief agency will focus its efforts on providing water, hygiene goods, nutrition and shelter for affected families. World Vision has already sent nutrition kits and hygiene goods from its prepositioned warehouses in the Dominican Republic to be distributed.

“We are assessing the needs of many orphanages, which might urge support to provide emotional and psycho-social protection to vulnerable children,” said Viscarra. World Vision sent today a team to ground zero to coordinate and evaluate the most pressing needs of families, especially those with children.

Haiti, the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, experienced prior to yesterday’s earthquake intense social and political unrest. Severe humanitarian access constraints and the fragile security situation greatly complicate the humanitarian response in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We will not give up in our efforts to reach the most vulnerable, nor will we let this crisis die out with time. We are committed to vulnerable families who are expecting the arrival of food, hygiene goods and temporary shelter to survive,” said Joao Diniz, Regional Leader of World Vision in Latin America and the Caribbean.

World Vision Haiti, the government and NGO partners are working closely to conduct post-impact damage and needs assessments to activate rapid response mechanisms.

About World Vision:
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization conducting relief, development, and advocacy activities in its work with children, families, and their communities in nearly 100 countries to help them reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. For more information, please visit www.WorldVision.org/media-center/ or on Twitter @WorldVisionUSA.