Relief report from on the ground in Haiti

[willing dwarf]

In response to a strong significant question -- when did relief agencies start putting paperwork above people's needs, Christopher Promis from CRS wrote this email yesterday. I think it gives some insight to what's going on in Port au Prince and beyond:

Although we can’t speak for all the international NGO’s, we are aware that in the best of times, it was not easy to get things done. So it has been especially difficult to not only get organized but to address such massive needs of food, water, shelter, sanitation and security for hundreds of thousands of people. There is also a need to attend to the spiritual and psychological wellbeing of the people. It takes time to bring order to the chaos of a destroyed city and a traumatized people. For people on the ground, like Ryan McCrory, this time frame can be frustrating and it is frustrating to us at CRS as well. So all I can say is what we have done to the present moment.

DISTRIBUTIONS
Port au Prince has been divided into 16 zones. CRS/Caritas Haiti is in charge of distributing rice in three zones. Starting Monday, February 1st, CRS will be distributing rice for more than 30,000 Haitians a day. The distributions are 55lbs of rice.

Up to Monday, February 1, CRS/Caritas Haiti has provided food to 113,978 people, and nonfood items to more than 20,000 people. These distributions are for family units, not individuals.

The large downtown rice distribution began on Jan. 31 in one of the CRS-designated camps (Palace/Champ de Mars) out of three of our designated sites. It is the most problematic site in terms of security but everything went well. The distribution, though longer than expected, was relatively orderly.

SHELTER
The last of the materials for shelter kits for 180,000 people are due to arrive today, February 1. The distribution of shelter kits at Pétionville Club and in other camps is set to start this week.

WASH
The water and sanitation materials for thousands of people arrived over the weekend, and include large water bladders, water treatment packs, building materials, tools, and other sanitation and construction supplies.

Major water and sanitation efforts are underway at the St. Francois de la Sale Hospital, where CRS/Caritas Haiti is carrying out a full sanitation plan. The CRS/Caritas Haiti team delivered cleaning supplies and buckets on Jan. 31 and started putting up screens around the operating room to protect patients from the flies. The full package of water and sanitation activities will take place at the hospital, including the construction of more latrines and showers, hand washing stations, clearing of drainage, management of waste, etc.

The CRS/Caritas Haiti team also selected camps downtown where today the team will start installing latrines. CRS/Caritas Haiti is identifying a local NGO with which to partner on participatory camp planning for water and sanitation in camps. The local NGO will help CRS/Caritas Haiti work with the camp committees to identify the locations for latrines, hand washing stations, showers, etc. In areas where digging is possible, latrines can be built within two days. For many of the urban camps set on concrete where digging is not possible, CRS/Caritas Haiti is contracting companies that rent portable latrines, and then will de-sludge the port-a-potties on a regular basis to maintain sanitation.

And just to quote some media on CRS:

From the Washington Post Jan 29: Perhaps the most successful food operation in the capital took place this week on a once exclusive golf course in the hills east of the crippled downtown. Catholic Relief Services teamed with soldiers from the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division to distribute more than 200 tons of food, principally lentils and bulgar, to about 6,500 families.

NPR to Sam Worthington, President and CEO, InterAction: “Reporters see chaos and lack of coordination, explain the discrepancy.”

Sam W.: From the beginning, there was significant dialogue in the UN system to set up clusters, rapid outreach to the NGO community and mobilization on the ground, reality of individuals and hospitals supported by NGOs. Significant challenge of ramping up. CRS great example of how it’s done.

So, yes, it can seem on the ground that nothing is happening or what is happening is chaotic, but there are developments and this is brief report is just about CRS. There are other agencies that are delivering resources as well.

Thank you and all the people of PiP. You have done great work and now more will be asked of you. My thoughts and prayers are with you all and with the people of Haiti !

Peace,
Chris


Rev. Christopher P. Promis, C.S.Sp.

Institutional Relations Officer
Catholic Relief Services
228 W. Lexington Street
Baltimore , MD 21201