Haiti Earthquake: Case Report No. 2 – 1 September 2021 | No. 2 – Haiti

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in numbers

7.2 degrees

More than 2,200 earthquake-related deaths

12,260+ injuries reported

130,000 homes destroyed or damaged

24,400 IDPs

650,000 people need humanitarian assistance

Source: USAID Haiti Earthquake Fact Sheet No. 9, August 30, 2021

Status Overview

The 7.2 magnitude earthquake southwest of Haiti on August 14 devastated communities in the provinces of Grand Anse, Nieps and the South, leaving hundreds of thousands of people in dire need of food, water, basic sanitation and shelter. The suffering left by the earthquake was exacerbated by heavy rains from Tropical Depression Grace on August 17, which caused floods and mudslides in some areas. All of this comes on top of the assassination of the Haitian president on July 7, which has thrown the country into political chaos.

Damage to the region’s already fragile infrastructure makes it difficult to reach the affected areas, further complicating response efforts. Roads, bridges and other parts of the transport network are rendered unusable. Additionally, gangs along the routes to the peninsula from Port-au-Prince made security a problem as the potential for attacks on convoys remains high.

The bridge over the Grande Anse River at Jeremy’s entrance has sustained significant structural damage and is closed to traffic, except for motorbikes or pedestrians. Any relief supplies delivered to that area must come by air, sea, or by long diversion on land.

The dire needs as a result of the earthquake are exacerbating the multiple and protracted humanitarian crises that have already affected Haiti. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) identified more than 610,000 people in need of humanitarian assistance in the three affected counties even before the earthquake. The risk of the spread of COVID-19 remains very high and is accompanied by hesitation about a vaccine and very slow spread, especially in rural areas of the country.

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