WFP to start recovery strategy for Haitian storm victims

Kristene Armand, 58-year-old, stands in front of the site where operated a small mill which served nearby maize producers. The income he earned helped him sustain his wife and son.
Kristene Armand, 58-year-old, stands in front of the site where operated a small mill which served nearby maize producers. The income he earned helped him sustain his wife and son.
Credits:
WFP/Elio Rujano

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) today released its strategy to help Haiti recover from successive natural disasters, the most recent being Hurricane Sandy. WFP, in a report released today, said “preliminary evaluations indicate that 3 days of heavy rainfall by Sandy caused significant agricultural losses.”

WFP also says “a total of US $254 million in losses was registered in the agricultural sector alone” resulting from drought, Tropical Storm Isaac and Sandy. A survey conducted in September showed the damage from both drought and Isaac with “levels of severe food insecurity as high as 57% among the rural population in the worst affected areas.”

An early recovery strategy has been developed to provide Haitians with food aid as they try to rebuild self-sufficiency. Around 600,000 Haitians in the rural part of the country will be receiving the WFP assistance. That figure will decrease over time as the recovery strategy takes hold through June of next year.

WFP says the recovery strategy is in addition to its regular Haiti operations and will require an additional US $25 million in funding. WFP depends on voluntary funding from governments and the public.

The small planting season in December and the main planting season in March 2013 will offer Haitians a chance to rebuild food supplies. Interim aid, if funded by the international community, will be the safety net for Haitians.

WFP’s strategy includes supplying seeds and other inputs to help rebuild agricultural areas badly damaged by the storms. Food aid to children under 5 and mothers will be crucial as malnutrition can be severely damaging to the most vulnerable. School meals as well as take-home rations will be provided in hard-hit areas. Both school meals and take-home rations help boost class attendance and provide a safety net of food for children and their families.

Share:

Author: `