Four successive tropical storms (Ike, Hanna, Gustav and Fay) have struck Haiti in recent weeks causing flooding and mudslides which have killed over 500 people and forced an estimated 40,000 to flee their homes.

The most affected Plan-covered areas are in the southeast where Plan has already played a key part in assisting 1,000 homeless in 8 shelters and ensuring that they had access to food and clean-water, following Hurricane Gustav.

Plan's response

Plan staff are on the ground assessing the damage caused by the storms in Plan-covered areas. Plan is working with government representatives in the region in an effort to bring relief to hundreds of children and families impacted by the disaster.

Plan will concentrate in areas in where it has had demonstrated expertise. The first relief phase will include:

• support of the government fumigation effort to reduce the risk of possible outbreak of communicable diseases,
• supply of essential medicine to hospitals and health centers in the region,
• provision of psychotherapy to traumatised children; and
• provision of school supplies to children.

Following the relief phase, Plan will participate in rehabilitation of social infrastructure and in providing agricultural inputs and restocking of animals. 

Plan Australia has not set up a fundraising appeal to support the response to the emergency, as it is expected that sufficient funds will be raised from other sources.

Information for sponsors

The storms occurred in a Plan area and sponsored children and their families are believed to be affected, however we are unable to provide news on individual sponsored children at this time. We will continue to assess the situation and will update this website as more information becomes available.