The northwest is the poorest part of Haiti, long neglected by the Haitian government and the international community. Most Haitians have neve been here and comparatively little has been written about the region.  I recently was able to visit both Port de Paix and the Ile de Tortue, a nearby island that was once a hotbed of piracy. Below is a summary of the area's past, present, and also its potential.

Immediately after the earthquake, information came out of Haiti in a trickle.  It is now more like a flood.  As of February 3, the Government of Haiti (GOH) increased its death toll estimate to over 200,000.  300,000 are reported to have been injured, 250,000 homes destroyed, and 30,000 businesses disrupted.  Assessments carried out by MINUSTAH now indicate a 15-20% population increase in the South, Grand Anse, Nippes, and Central Plateau departments due to displacement from Port-au-Prince.  Below is a summary of where things stand in terms of emergency response and recovery.  Read more »

Some emergencies can be predicted. Every hurricane season, we can anticipate that Haiti will likely be hit with tropical storms.  Others such as the collapse of a school in Petionville yesterday are unexpected tragedies. The community was, as is usually the case, the first to respond.  They tried to remove as much of the rubble as possible but were hampered by a lack of heavy equipment.  Search and rescue operations continued through the night and casualties now stand at 75. According to President Preval, shoddy construction practices could result in other collapses. Below is an AP article by Jonathan Katz on the situation.    Read more »

Matt recently uploaded a new set of  photographs to the Haiti Innovation Flickr Account.  These photos were taken during emergency operations where Haitian Red Cross volunteers and American Red Cross staff worked hand in hand throughout the country.  Red Cross has considerably ramped up their programming over the past month.  These photos give a sense of how profound the damage was in a way that may be impossible to convey through writing. Other non-profits may use photographs from this set provided that they credit Matthew Marek and Haiti Innovation. Read more »

By most accounts, the Haitian Government responded well to Gustav.  The Haitian Ministry of Interior’s Office of Civil Protection (DPC) played an active role, gathering information and establishing shelters nationwide. However, Hanna overwhelmed the country's capacity and produced a national catastrophe  that was exacerbated by Ike.  The storms affected 600,000 people in nine of ten departments. Of them, the UN is reporting that 331 people have died and 70,000 people remain in shelters.  Relief has been slow because of damaged infrastructure but it is arriving. Read more »