HAITI UPDATE - Thursday 23 August, 2012 - 22:00.
Next Update: 18:00 Friday

Tropical Storm Isaac is expected to hit Haiti Friday morning. It is expected to be accompanied by strong winds gusting at up to 120 – 150 km/h), and accumulations of 6 – 9 inches of rainfall. The center of the storm is currently moving West Northwest at a speed of 24 km/h. accordingly, the National Risks and Disasters Management System (SNGRD) has placed the country on Phase 2 Alert, Vigilance Red.

The Government of Haiti (GoH) is planning for up to 450, 000 evacuated, 200, 000 placed in temporary shelters and up to 100 deaths, as a result of the storm.

The Haitian Directorate of Civil Protection (DPC) has activated the National Emergency Coordination Center (COUN) and 10 departmental emergency coordination centers (COUD) and partially activated communal centers (COUC) in the most vulnerable areas.

The Government of Haiti has announced a series of measures including, the provision of emergency numbers (177, 116, and 114 * 300). Information is being disseminated to the public on the location of emergency centers and pre-positioned food and water. 118,000 bottles of water are already available, 100,000 hygiene kits loans, 1500 temporary shelters have already been identified throughout the territory, 32 boats available to improve the logistics of relief assistance. Over 200 camps have been sensitized and 17 partners trained in emergency preparedness and response.

The international community, in collaboration with the Government, has taken measures to ensure stockpiling and prepositioning of emergency supplies, establishing 24-hour emergency response teams, identifying temporary shelters and population at high risk, as well as existing resources.

Examples of the emergency supplies available in-country for immediate response include, emergency food supplies for more than 300,000 people, shelter materials for more than 70,000 families, water treatment supplies for 400,000 people, kits for vulnerable groups, emergency health kits and cholera response kits for up to 75,000 people. Regional and global stocks are also available to be mobilized if the crisis requires.

While the majority of movements to temporary shelters will be self-evacuations, approximately 3,000 of the most critically vulnerable IDPS have been identified for evacuation by DPC with support from IOM and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

MINUSTAH has deployed 5,000 infantry troops (in Port-au-Prince, Gonaives, Les Cayes, etc) and 2,000 engineering troops to clear roads and facilitate movement of deployment of emergency response teams and evacuations.

A pre-briefing alert by the Expanded Joint Operations Centre (EJOC) was held this morning to revise EJOC SOPs and provide updates on the evolution of ISAAC to all EJOC members.

The Emergency Joint Operations Centre (EJOINT), led by OCHA and comprising cluster lead agencies, NGOs met this morning to review cluster and partner preparations and will be activated as of Friday morning at 7 am.

A meeting of GACI, Groupe d’appui de la communauté internationale, comprising the GoH and main international partners (UN agencies, donors, embassies), held late Thursday, co-chaired by the Minister of Interior and the DSRSG, Kevin Kennedy, to discuss assistance to the disaster response/mitigation efforts pre- and post Tropical Storm Isaac. At this meeting GACI members provided initial indication of potential resources and support for response.

The meeting was followed by a press conference during which Mr. Kevin Kennedy and members of the GoH fielded questions from the media on the state of preparedness and response to Tropical Storm Isaac.