Support for Named Disaster: 2010 /2011 Haiti Cholera Epidemic available at Save The Children - 2010 Haiti Earthquake

Haiti's children at risk

Source: Save the Children

Date: 04 Nov 2010

We're launching a new appeal as Haiti's children face the double threat of an approaching tropical storm and a growing cholera epidemic.

Thursday 4 November 2010

The lives of tens of thousands of children — already at risk from the growing cholera epidemic that hit Haiti last week — are now facing the threat of a major tropical storm heading for the island.

Impending double disaster

Save the Children is launching a (US) $2 million appeal to respond to the impending double disaster — delivering emergency supplies and increasing health and sanitation work with a special focus on hand washing promotion and building diarrhoea treatment centres.

Tropical storm Tomas, which experts think will bring extremely high winds when it reaches Haiti on Friday, could cause horrific devastation in hundreds of temporary camps. Over a million people are already living in camps under flimsy tarpaulin shelters after the earthquake.

The storm has the potential to rip up tents and flood the camps, destroying possessions and leaving families exposed and homeless once again. There will be huge danger from flying debris and peoples' homes could be overwhelmed with sewage and rubbish by the rains. Landslides caused by the flooding could add to the risks.

Save the Children is also warning that the chaos caused by the storm will make conditions in Port-au-Prince even more conducive to the spread of the deadly cholera bacteria, which has already killed over 350 people in the last two weeks.

As well as the unhygienic conditions the storm will cause, families have been advised to move from the camps to find shelter with relations or in safe buildings. This means there will be significant movement of people between areas, increasing the risk that cholera will spread faster and to more locations across the country.

"The humanitarian crisis in Haiti is already one of the worst in the world, and this double disaster could push it to breaking point," said Gary Shaye, Country Director of Save the Children in Haiti. "Once again we have to increase our response — and increase it fast — otherwise children could die."

"There are more than half a million incredibly vulnerable children living in the camps in Haiti. They have already had to deal with the fear of losing their homes and members of their families. Now the most vulnerable children in this country could be facing those fears once again."

Storm could cause cholera to spread faster and wider

"Equally terrifying is the high likelihood that this storm will cause cholera to spread faster and wider. This water-borne bacteria can kill a small child within hours, and if the disease reaches the densely populated city of Port-au-Prince, where most of the displaced families are living, we're looking at a wide-spread disaster that would threaten the lives of even more children in this country."

We are working in the camps in Port-au-Prince and also in two of the areas that could be worst hit by the hurricane - Léogâne, the epicentre of the earthquake and Jacmel on the south coast.

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