An adolescent girl has her dinner of a single baked potato. She lives with her family in the open courtyard of an apartment building made unsafe to occupy by the January 12, 2010 Haiti earthquake. The UN would like to see her family relocated, but three months after the earthquake, no sites have been developed. © Keith Dunlop
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, April 12 – Three months have passed since the devastating Haitian earthquake, and daily torrential showers have begun to hit the region. The trouble is, the start of the wet season in Haiti — and more significantly the hurricane season in June — brings a serious new level of concern for the estimated 200,00 people who require relocation from their high-risk camps. Many of these over-crowded camps are located in low-lying areas prone to flooding, and water borne diseases such as cholera and dysentery are significant concerns. Not to mention, malaria is already prevalent in Haiti, and it will only get worse with the increased mosquito population that standing water brings.
One of the more significant issues standing is the way of relocating earthquake refugee to proper temporary shelters is the availability of land. The UN has estimated that it will take a minimum of 600 ha of land, or roughly 2.5 square miles. However, only 220 ha has been identified as suitable by the government. There are also logistical hurdles to overcome in terms of the staff needed to conduct site planning and refugee relocation. A recent situation report from OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) states:
There are insufficient human resources for site planning and development as well as of Social Engineering staff to facilitate the movement of the population to the new sites. The lack of new land allocation is of concern in respect [to the] imminent raining season.
A refugee camp with shelters constructed on an unprepared site from sticks and plastic sheeting. Three months after the earthquake proper temporary shelters have not been built and the hurricane season looms. © Keith Dunlop
Some efforts to relocate people living in camps identified as especially prone to flooding have begun. The government recently began moving over 7,00o people from the Golf Club in Petionville to a site on higher ground in Corail Cesselesse. However, this effort began with little notice to aid organizations who complain that with such lack of notice, time needed to consult with affected people and properly prepare the new settlement sites cannot be done. Aid organizations advise that relocation sites be selected in advance for proper ground preparation work, demarcating shelter sites, and placing latrines in strategic locations that ensure the safety of residents, especially women and children at night.
Further complicating relocation efforts is the lack of suitable temporary shelters for earthquake refugees to live in. Prototypes for proposed temporary shelters are currently on display at the Red Cross headquarters in Port-au-Prince, but none have actually been built. The government is still relying upon plastic tarps and sheeting to provide adequate protection and security to those living in refugee camps. On April 12th, Louis Luck, the senior representative of USAID in Haiti, was quoted as saying the current goal is to provide plastic sheeting to all in need by May 1st, “before the start of the rains”. Unfortunately, the heavy rains have already begun.
