. Earth Science News .
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Haiti storm victims, in makeshift camps, bemoan aid chaos
By Amelie BARON
J�r�mie, Haiti (AFP) Oct 24, 2016


Rickety structures made of sheet metal and scrap wood are clustered along the road to the Haitian city of Jeremie, which still hasn't seen any aid nearly three weeks after Hurricane Matthew.

In a scene that is eerily similar to the devastation in Port-au-Prince after the 2010 earthquake, when hundreds of thousands of survivors had to cram into every available space, families are living in makeshift camps.

In one such camp on the side of the road, Dominique Pierre-Louis is trying to start a motorcycle covered in mud.

"I fixed it so I can try to earn a little money by driving a motorcycle taxi," said the 42-year-old, who normally works as a bricklayer.

"I just want a job, I don't need any charity. I'm a professional, I can help myself."

Before the hurricane swept over Haiti, leaving hundreds dead, Pierre-Louis and his family lived outside Jeremie. But after days of not receiving any aid, he moved his wife and eight children to this muddy roadside camp.

In the past two weeks, convoys carrying humanitarian relief have driven by, but none has stopped.

The family is now living in a small space made of sheet metal and tarps. Pierre-Louis's wife Dieula, who has asthma and has been ill, rests on wooden planks covered by a sheet while their children scramble naked in the mud.

- 'Too many losses' -

"I was in the hospital for eight days, I was better but the fever came back yesterday," she said, her face covered in sweat. "I should go back but I can't afford it."

Aside from a cholera treatment center set up on the grounds of Jeremie's partially damaged public hospital, there is no free medical care in this city, which bore the brunt of Matthew's might.

At night, Pierre-Louis sleeps sitting up in a plastic chair, the only possession they were able to save from their home. Two of the younger children sleep on his lap.

His sick wife shares their makeshift bed with their six other children.

But Dieula doesn't complain too much about her situation.

"The solidarity that usually binds Haitians has been ruptured -- there are too many homes destroyed, too many losses. The state can't do anything, it's too much," she said.

A few meters away, Filton Janvier is more angry, and refuses to accept that the international community has abandoned him.

"We're just on the side of the road. Authorities go by, the mayor just passed by, and even the president was here. But no one came to ask us how we were doing," the 39-year-old said, seething with rage.

"I pay my taxes, I contribute like everyone else... I don't understand what is happening. It makes me angry because it makes me question our humanity," he added, as he watched another group of vehicles from a non-governmental aid organization drive by.

- Empty hands -

After the main roads were again open to traffic, aid started trickling into Jeremie, but the lack of coordination between the foreign agencies has stalled its distribution to those in need.

On the city's main street, residents spot a bit of a crowd: food and construction materials are being handed out by city hall, people say -- and it's going south.

"The cop at the entrance ordered me to back up -- I did it but people were pushing me from behind. The cop hit me with his baton and I fell down," said Rene Jean-Fritz, pointing to his bloodied knees.

"These cops did not come to help people, they just came to beat us up," he charged, and onlookers voiced their agreement.

For Pierre-Louis, people are not looking for handouts but just need the bare minimum so they no longer have to sleep in the rain.

"I just needed two tarps to cover the damaged part of my house. I don't need rice. They should use helicopters to give that to people in the mountains who have nothing," he said.

Jean-Fritz, still angry, did not get anything at the aid giveaway. He got the plastic card granting him access to the distribution point the night before from a friend who had several dozen of them.

No local officials or aid group verified that those who queued up for aid were truly in need.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
A world of storm and tempest
When the Earth Quakes






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Risk analysis for common ground on climate loss and damage
Vienna, Austria (SPX) Oct 21, 2016
The Paris Agreement included groundbreaking text on the need for a mechanism to help identify risks beyond adaptation and support the victims of climate-related loss and damage--but how exactly it will work remains unclear. New IIASA research lends insight to policymakers on how to move forward. The issue of 'dangerous' climate change has been fundamental for the international climate nego ... read more


DISASTER MANAGEMENT
On road to Mosul, Kurd doctors fear being overwhelmed

Haiti hurricane victims face choice: leave or rebuild

Risk analysis for common ground on climate loss and damage

Brazil charges 21 over deaths in mine dam collapse: prosecutor

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Lego-like wall produces acoustic holograms

Metamaterial uses light to control its motion

Louisiana Tech University professor develops new mechanism for strengthening materials

How water flows near the superhydrophobic surface

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Barrier Reef report card paints bleak picture

New 13-year study tracks effects of changing ocean temperature on phytoplankton

In drought, Los Angeles grapples with water-guzzling rich

Historical Records May Underestimate Sea Level Rise

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Receding glaciers in Bolivia leave communities at risk

Long-Serving DSCS Satellite Takes Over Role of Linking Antarctic Researchers to the World

Consequences from Antarctica climate change

Future of Antarctic marine protected at risk

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Plants actively direct their seeds via wind or water towards suitable sites

Hunting gastronomic gold in Italy's truffle country

EU sugar producers eye exports when quotas end next year

Small-scale agriculture threatens the rainforest

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Typhoon survivors wait for aid in the Philippines

After the hurricane, cholera hits Haiti's suffering survivors

5 dead as storm pounds hurricane-stricken Haiti

Honduras alert over heavy rains

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Shabaab takes Somali town after Ethiopia troop pullout

Mozambique peace talks resume after negotiator's murder

20 dead in Pygmy-Bantu caterpillar clashes in DR Congo

Mali governor visits troubled region for first time in years

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Ancient human history more complex than previously thought

Europeans and Africans have different immune systems, and neanderthals are partly to thank

Study finds earliest evidence in fossil record for right-handedness

Extensive heat treatment in Middle Stone Age silcrete tool production in South Africa









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.