Haiti – UNICEF sends medical help to children affected by the earthquake
At least 1,941 people are known to have died in Haiti in Saturday’s powerful earthquake – a rise of more than 500 on the previous figure, officials say. Nearly 10,000 people have been injured, and many are still missing after the the 7.2-magnitude tremor.
The UN says about 500,000 children now have limited or no access to shelter, safe water and food.Tens of thousands of people left homeless by the quake had to decide whether to brave the storm under flimsy tarpaulins or risk returning into buildings damaged by the tremor and smaller aftershocks. Six medical kits were brought to three hospitals in Les Cayes by a UNICEF truck, with enough equipment such as gloves, painkillers medicines, among other things.
As per the information from United Nations Children’s Fund, the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on Saturday impacted over 1.2 million people, including 540,000 children. The Tropical Depression Grace is already submerging the hardest-hit regions of South, Nippes, and Grand’Anse, severely affecting access to clean drinking water, shelter, and other essential services, according to UNICEF.
UNICEF along with its partners are delivering tarpaulins for making emergency shelter, lavatories and showers, as well as water reservoirs for clean water distribution and hygienic kits that include water treatment tablets, soap, menstrual hygiene material, and jerrycans. UNICEF has set up tents in the courtyard of one hospital to provide protection to patients who were afraid the structure might crumble.
UNICEF is organising community-based engagement initiatives to avoid family separation and maintain children’s safety and emotional assistance. Additional resources, including educational and recreational packages, will be quickly deployed.
Latin America countries including Venezuela, Chile, Mexico, Panama, Colombia and the neighbouring Dominican Republic sent food, medicine and supplies. The United States also dispatched supplies and search and rescue teams.The hospital in Les Cayes, about 150 km (90 miles) west of the capital Port-au-Prince, was even more overwhelmed on Tuesday than before as patients who had been camping outside moved indoors to escape the tropical storm.
