The document summarizes life in Haiti 18 months after the 2010 earthquake by providing an overview of Haiti's disaster risk profile, national disaster management system, impacts of the earthquake, response efforts, and ongoing challenges. It describes the extensive damage to infrastructure, loss of life, and displacement of people from the earthquake. It highlights response activities in the first days and weeks including search and rescue, medical aid, food and water distribution. It discusses ongoing efforts to strengthen disaster management capacities and reduce risks, as well as rebuilding needs. International support for response and recovery is recognized.

1. Haiti - Response to the 12 January
2010 earthquake
Life in Haiti – 18 months after
ISCRAM Summer School
August 23, 2011

2. Presentation Plan
• Disaster risk country profile
• National system of risk and
disaster management structure
• Main activities and achievement
before January 12, 2010
• Impact on the earthquake
• Life in Haiti: 18 months after
• Challenges
• Conclusion

3. Disaster Risk Country Profile
A country prone to several hazards
• The country has the 5th highest mortality risk to two or
more hazards (Hotspots Study, 2005)
• 96% of its population is living at risk, Haiti has the highest
vulnerability rating in terms of cyclones among the region’s
small island states (12.9 on a scale of 13)
• One of the 10 climate change global hotspots according to
the Climate Investment Fund’s Expert Group
Some drivers of vulnerability
• Environmental degradation (2% forest coverage)
• High levels of poverty (77% of the Haitian population live
on less than 2$/day and 52% live on less than 1$/day)
• High population density (up to 40,000 km2 in Port-au-
Prince) coupled with the large number of informal
structures
GFDRR is able to help developing countries reduce their vulnerability to natural disasters and adapt to climate change, thanks to the continued
support of our partners: ACP Secretariat, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, India,
Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, UN
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, and the World Bank.

4. HAITI: hazards
Heavy rain
Inundation
Hurricane
Earthquake
Land slide
Tsunami
Drought
Erosion

5. Inundations

6. Inundation scenarios : Léogane

7. Haiti: On Hurricane Path

8. 6/18/2010

9. Land Movements

10. Carries 2009 : mudslide
Peligre : Land slide

11. Possibility of soil liquefaction
6/18/2010

12. Liquéfaction – Port of Port de Port-au-Prince

13. Tsunamie – Haiti

14. 6/18/2010

15. Disaster Risk Management framework
Haiti National Disaster Risk Management System
• Haiti National Disaster Risk Management System is
headed by the National Risk and Disaster Management
Committee, led by the Prime Minister (Minister of
interior by Prime Minister delegation), composed of 10
line Ministers and the President of the Haitian Red
Cross
• Operational arms: Directorate for Civil Protection (DPC)
and Permanent Secretariat for Risk and Disaster
Management (SPGRD)
• Emphasis on decentralization and strengthening of local
capacities: a network of DRM committees in each of the
10 departments; and in more than 120 of the 140
municipalities
GFDRR is able to help developing countries reduce their vulnerability to natural disasters and adapt to climate change, thanks to the continued
support of our partners: ACP Secretariat, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, India,
Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, UN
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, and the World Bank.

16. COMITÉ NATIONAL DE GRD
Présidé par
Le Premier Ministre/ Ministre de
l’Intérieur
Secrétariat Exécutif :
DPC
Groupe
Groupe d’Appui de la
d’appui Coopération
de la Internationale
Société SECRETARIAT PERMANENT
Civile DE GESTION DES RISQUES
ET DES DÉSASTRES
Gestion des Gestion des
Risques Désastres
Comités thématiques Centre d’opérations
d’urgence (COU)
Comités institutionnels /
Coordination générale : DPC
sectoriels
Comités Départementaux
Comités Communaux et
Locaux

17. Disaster & Risk Management
Axes of interventions
The plan of actions in country is developed according
to the following axes :
•Disaster response – Decentralization and
strengthening of national and local capacities :
Disaster preparedness, recovery, and reconstruction
at all levels
•Disaster Risk reduction: Towards a culture of safety
and resilience - Reducing the underlying risk factors

18. Vulnerability reduction
Local capacity

19. Forces and Weaknesses
Forces Weaknesses
• Availability of dedicated • Almost no functional EOC
staff • Lack of material resources /
• Departmental and infrastructures
communal coverage • Lack of high qualify human
(decentralized committees) resources
• Trained members in • Immaturity of new communal
affected area committees – no committees
• Capacity to mobilize in some communes
resources from support • Delay to get appropriate
projects information for actions
• Alert • Lack of scientific knowledge
• Search and rescue teams (?) of events
GFDRR is able to help developing countries reduce their vulnerability to natural disasters and adapt to climate change, thanks to the continued
support of our partners: ACP Secretariat, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, India,
Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, UN
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, and the World Bank.

20. EOC Nippes
Departmental level

21. Disaster & Risk Management
Main activities before January 12,
2010
“International support group”
The international support group is lead by UNDP. It’s plan of actions was
developed in association of the national system and it’s part of the national one.
On daily basis, at central level, United Nations Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA ) play an interface /facilitator role between national
and international bodies.
At regional level, depend on the representation on ground, the UN system and
MINUSTHA are fully included in departmental or sometime communal
committees.
Joint National simulation exercises – joint contingency plan
Currently UNDP – OCHA were supporting the system development

22. Disaster & Risk Management
Main activities before January 12,
2010
Considering its proved capacities in reducing lost of life
in case of disasters, taking in consideration the lessons
learned after the 4 hurricanes in 2008, the National
System of risk and disaster management was working
toward its decentralization (geographical coverage of
communal and locals committees) : new committees
and in reinforcement of existing ones.
•Continuing effort to communities awareness;
•Improvement of early warning systems – evacuation
plans;
•Planning of 2010 hurricane season contingency plan
was initiated …

24. GFDRR is able to help developing countries reduce their vulnerability to natural disasters and adapt to climate change, thanks to the continued
support of our partners: ACP Secretariat, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, India,
Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, UN
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, and the World Bank.

25. Some facts
• Most affected cities by the seism: Port-au-
Prince metropolitan area, Gressier,
Leogane, Grand Goave, Petit Goave,
Cabaret, Jacmel
• Port-au-Prince area: 65% of economic
activities – 85% of taxes entrees
• Jacmel: Tourism and craft pole
• Estimation of lost: around 8 milliards of
US dollars

26. Impact on infrastructures
• Around 105 000 houses were totally destroyed
• More than 208 000 houses were severely damage
• More than 4000 schools and some university
compounds were affected
• More than 50 hospitals and health center collapse or
were severely affected
• The main sea port are inoperative and the main
international airport building is severely affected and
can not be use.
• The National Palace, the Parliament, the Justice Palace
and most of the Minister Offices and other
administrative buildings are destroyed.

27. 60 percent of government,
administrative and
economic infrastructure has
been destroyed

28. Governmental Structures
Office of the President
Office of the Prime Minister
Ministries
Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development
Trade
Culture and Communications
Economics and Finances
Environment
Foreign Affairs and Religions
Haitians Living Abroad
Interior and Territorial collectivities
Justice and Public safety
National Education and Professional Training
Planning and External Cooperation
Public Health and Population
Public Works, Transportation and Communications
Social Affairs and Labor
Tourism
Women’s Conditions and women Rights
Youth and Sports

29. National Palace
Before After

30. Court of Justice Palace

31. Legislative Palace
Before
• After

32. Ministries Palace:
Health, Public Work,
Interior, finances,
Planning

33. Sea Port of
Port-au-Prince

34. The State University
School of Nursing

35. Institution du Sacre Coeur

36. College Catts Pressoir
• Chemistry lab before • after

37. Cathedral of Port-au-Prince
• Before
• After

38. Villa Manrese
After
• Before

39. Hotel Montana
• Reports say that at the
time of the earthquake
300 people were inside
but only 100 made it
out alive after the
building collapsed.

40. Hotel Villa Creole

41. HUEH: Main university hospital

43. Economic sector
Grand Rue : Main commercial street

44. Residential and
offices areas

45. Impact on Human

46. Thoursand died

47. Million was injured

48. Spontaneous Camps

50. Psychological impact
Aftershock reaction: Jesus! Jesus!
•

51. Movements of
population
after the
eartquake

53. 235.000 left the affected areas by buses

54. Responses to the needs

55. First 24 hours :
Local response
6

56. Search and rescue

58. 15 days after
Boy- College St Gerard, PaP

59. Humanitarian response

60. Mass arrival of missions
& NGO from lot of
countries

61. Multiplication of clusters
Heath services
Drug and medical supplies
logistics
Mobile clinic
Epidemiological surveillance
Hygiene and environment
Rehabilitation
Mental Heath
Vaccination
Mapping
10

62. Medical supply

63. Health responses

64. HUEH – Many flags

65. TB tent

67. Pediatric Unit

68. Pediatric ICU

69. Line of patients waiting to enter the hospital HUEH

71. Sleeping quarters at Quesqueya earthquake relief center

73. Food distribution

74. Water distribution

75. Portable pottie’s provided at various tent cities in all public parks

76. Dommages et pertes
6

77. Estimation des besoins
7

78. Life today
Need for continuation of efforts

79. Old and New vulnerable groups
• Populations in camps
• Women in reproductive ages
• Pregnant women
• Children : 0 to 5
• Amputates / people with reduction
of capacities
• People mentally affected
17

80. Many amputations
Secondary to earthquake injuries.
Patients are trying to return to
Some sense of normality

82. s

83. Potential risk

84. Tones of debrits

87. Some lessons learn from the
Earthquake response
• The country structures have to be reinforced :
They are the first responders
• In case of big emergencies, Government
tend to intervene directly on the response.
Special training has to be made for
Government members
• Lost of working place has a big negative
effect on mobilization and coordination
activities in immediate post disaster
• Agencies on ground need to be on the
spots. That has to be consider in the
response communication plan.

88. Some lessons learn from the
Earthquake response
• Some agency interventions are made
regardless to the national plan of action. Need
to reinforce:
• implication of all key actors in development
of plan;
• Plan promotion;
• and to have regular simulation exercises.
• Multiplication of cluster make very difficult
coordination of activities.
• Countries has to be more strict on allowing
entry of goods, volunteers… even when needs
are urge. Early identification of needs and
information sharing can decrease the amount
of needless or not appropriate donation or
efforts.

89. Today the country needs, in addition
to the strengthening of entities of
SNGRD working both in the
responses to disasters and risk
reduction, top scientific structures
able to follow the risk factors and
guide decisions making.

90. After January 12
Efforts are being initiated.
•Strengthening the civil protection structures at all levels: EOC
building, donation of means of intervention, training, staffing,
extension of early warning systems…
• Strategies revision (taken in account of the multiple hazards)
• Follow up of risk factors - reinforcements of National de
Meteorological center
• Constitution and management of data base – quality control
of information
• Increased capacity of having geological and seismic
information
• Studies aimed to implement scientific entities
•Development of normative tools such as building construction
code
• Strengthening of education and public awareness
GFDRR is able to help developing countries reduce their vulnerability to natural disasters and adapt to climate change, thanks to the continued
support of our partners: ACP Secretariat, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, India,
Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, UN
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, and the World Bank.

91. Capacity building

92. Training - decentralization

93. Search and rescue teams

94. Thematic committees
TC Building code

95. Thematic committees
Public awareness Flight against Cholera

96. 8th Consultative Group Meeting, May 17, 2010
Re localization
Evacuation plan

97. National EOC

99. Infrastructure development

101. Plan de reconstruction de
Port-au-Prince

102. 3,3 milliards de dollars sur une
période de 5 ans.

103. Conclusion
Efforts are being initiated…
Much remains to be done in building
resilience.
We must make “Vulnerability reduction a
base of economical development" of the
country. (SE, Prime Minister Jean - Max
Bellerive - may 2009)
GFDRR is able to help developing countries reduce their vulnerability to natural disasters and adapt to climate change, thanks to the continued
support of our partners: ACP Secretariat, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, India,
Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, UN
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, and the World Bank.

104. In HAITI today…CAN WE TAKE ON
THIS CHALLENGE !!!
Yes We Can: one step at the time
We have to without any delay to
implement a comprehensible plan of
actions with the support of our partners

105. UN support and all partners were very
appreciated by the Haitian Government and
the different structures of the National
system. There contribution to the earthquake
response were remarkable even in a
background of lack of coordination. In
addition of there material contribution, we
have to highlight the availability and the
technical capacity of some members on
ground.

106. Thanks for your attention
Q/A