LIVE: Pledging conference for Haiti reconstruction

WFP Haiti/Theresa Piorr
Women join a community effort to rehabilitate earthquake-damaged roads in the south-west of Haiti.
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On 14 August 2021, the south-west region of Haiti was hit by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake which led to widespread death and destruction. Some 2,200 people died, over 12,500 were injured and up to 800,000 people directly impacted. Six months on, the Haitian government has organized an international pledging conference, in the hope of raising the $2 billion needed for reconstruction.
On 14 August 2021, the south-west region of Haiti was hit by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake which led to widespread death and destruction. Some 2,200 people died, over 12,500 were injured and up to 800,000 people directly impacted. Six months on, the Haitian government has organized an international pledging conference, in the hope of raising the $2 billion needed for reconstruction.

13:10: Haiti PM says all regions to benefit from reconstruction

WFP Haiti/Theresa Piorr
Members of a community in the south-west of Haiti works together to rehabilitate a road damaged in the earthquake.

The Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, told the event that the reconstruction and recovery effort would include all people. “Not all communities in the Southern Peninsula were affected in the same way. Some suffered more damage and losses than others. However, the recovery plan includes all regions that were directly and indirectly affected.

And he added that Haiti had to focus on "resilient recovery in the face of multiple and complex hazards by adding innovative approaches based on an inclusive and coordinated process.”

The Government was quick to act after the disaster, and within six weeks had produced a post-disaster needs assessment known as the PDNA, the plan which is priced at $2 billion.

1240: Deputy UN chief, 'The people of Haiti must always come first'

The UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, visited Haiti just days after the August earthquake and she has come back six months later to lend her voice to the reconstruction efforts, saying “the people of Haiti must always come first.”

She paid tribute to their resilience saying that “time and time again, they mourn their losses, and then they pick themselves up and put their lives back together.”

She also recognized that leading role that the government had played in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake saying that “in partnership with communities and international stakeholders, emergency relief was provided to 600,000 people in need.”

And she added that “as the response unfolded, the Haitian Government took important steps towards recovery and reconstruction.”

1220: Disaster preparation saves lives

Many more people died in the 2010 earthquake than the 2021 disaster, largely because it struck urban rather than rural communities which were affected in 2021.

However, the casualty rate was very high also because Haiti was simply not prepared for such a devastating natural catastrophe.

In fact, one government official called the response chaotic. With better preparation, many lives could have been saved.

Important lessons were learned from 2010, one of which was the importance of rapidly producing a Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA).

1200: counting the cost of recovery

UNFPA/Ralph Tedy Erol
Thousands of private homes were damaged or destroyed in the earthquake.

The response to the August earthquake has been far more effective with the Haitian government in the lead.

They decided what the priorities were, and directed the international community to provide the appropriate support, unlike in 2010.

Just six weeks after the 2021 earthquake, the government had produced its Post Disaster Needs Assessment or PDNA as it’s called.

Reconstruction and recovery has been costed at around $2 billion dollars.

1140: A huge UN and government relief effort

UNFPA/Samuel Lamery
The Hôpital de Référence Communautaire de l’Asile in the south-west of Haiti was severely damaged in the 14 August 2021 earthquake.

A huge humanitarian relief effort led by the Haitian government was mounted in the immediate aftermath of the August disaster and UN agencies were heavily involved.

Both UNICEF and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA ) supported mothers after the maternity wing in a local hospital was razed to the ground.

And the World Food Programme provided meals to school children, many of whom came from farming families who had lost their land or food and seed stories.

1120: widespread destruction and death

IOM/Monica Chiriac
Thousands of people have been displaced after tens of thousands of homes collapsed or were damaged.

The August earthquake struck in a mainly rural region. It left 2,300 people dead and almost 13,000 were injured.

A huge amount of damage was also done to infrastructure, including homes, hospitals, schools and roads. You can read more about what happened here.

It’s not the first time Haiti has suffered from a catastrophic earthquake. In 2010 some 220,000 people reportedly died in a quake whose epicentre was close to Port-au-Prince.

1100

It’s been a very tough 12 months for Haiti; an economic crisis, the assassination of the head of state, rising insecurity and the increased threat of kidnapping by gangs, and not to forget the ongoing threat of COVID-19, complicated an already challenging humanitarian situation in what is the poorest and least developed nation in the western hemisphere.

And then on 21 August last year, a deadly 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck the south-west of the country causing may deaths and widespread destruction. More of that later.

Today in the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, the Haitian government is bringing together international donors to support the reconstruction and recovery across the affected region and to ensure that the country is better prepared for any future natural disasters.

The meeting has just got under way, and we’ll be live blogging the event…you can follow it live here on UN Web TV.

© UN News (2022) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: UN News

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