Main Points

• In the five months after Hurricane Matthew struck southwestern Haiti on 4 October 2016, humanitarian partners reached over 1,000,000 people with humanitarian assistance in the most affected regions of Grand’Anse, Sud and Nippes.
• The emergency response is coming to an ending and the focus is shifting to early recovery in all of the sectors. It is essential to support on-going self-recovery efforts, including building back safer and strengthening the capacity of affected communities to face the coming hurricane season.
• Critical humanitarian needs remain, particularly in the Food Security and the Shelter/NFI sectors. The emergency rehabilitation of health facilities and restoration of permanent access to basic health services are life-saving priorities for the populations of Grand’Anse and Sud regions.

1,011,124

People received food assistance

Source: Food Sector

788,815

People received tarpaulins and emergency shelter kits

Source: Shelter/NFI working group

396,000

People benefited from hygiene services and hygiene items

Source: WASH Sector

833,583

People provided with health care assistance

Source: PAHO/WHO

Situation Overview

Category-4 Hurricane Matthew violently struck southwestern Haiti on 4 October 2016 bringing heavy rainfall in the south, southeast and the north-west, and creating the largest humanitarian emergency in the country since the 2010 earthquake. It caused considerable damage to housing and agricultural sectors. The Directorate of Civil Protection of Haiti (DPC) reported that over five hundred people lost their lives and hundreds were injured. As of 10 October 2016 an estimated 175,500 people were displaced and scattered in 224 temporary shelters and other buildings. Of the 2.1 million people affected by the hurricane, nearly 1.4 million were considered to be in need of humanitarian assistance, including 800,000 children (UNICEF) and 364,000 women and girls (UNFPA). In close coordination with the Government of Haiti and other partners, the Haiti Humanitarian Country Team launched a Flash Appeal on 10 October 2016 seeking US$139 million in emergency funding to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of 750,000 people, including 315,000 children, for three months.

Almost five months after the hurricane, the emergency response is phasing down. Despite the challenging context, in the first five months after it struck humanitarian partners reached over 1,000,000 people through food and Non-Food Items (NFI) distributions, water and sanitation services, health care, the rehabilitation of schools, and economic revitalization and cash for work activities, among other response efforts.

The response to outstanding needs and early recovery activities has been incorporated into the Haiti 2017-2018 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) framework launched on 6 February 2017. The HRP seeks US$297.5 million to assist 2.4 million people with critical needs, including 1.4 million people affected by Hurricane Matthew (55% of the HRP budget).