Medair Responds to Devastation Caused by Hurricane Matthew in Southwest Haiti

Lausanne, Switzerland – October 11, 2016 – Following the devastating impact of Hurricane Matthew in Haiti, Medair is on the ground providing relief to affected families.

After the hurricane struck the island on Tuesday, 4 October, Medair called an emergency meeting to deploy the first team to Haiti. A second team of logistics, water and sanitation, shelter, and communications staff soon followed.

Hurricane Matthew is the first category-four storm to hit Haiti in over fifty years. As the death toll nears 400 and cholera outbreaks rise, Medair is responding to the desperate needs of Haitians.

In close collaboration with World Concern and Medical Teams International, the relief agency is assessing needs across a large area of southwest Haiti. The team delivers immediate assistance to those determined to be the most impacted and vulnerable.

In response to the crisis caused by Haiti’s 2010 earthquake, Medair provided shelter and sanitation facilities to thousands who lost their homes. Early reports indicate that most permanent houses built or improved by Medair and local communities in Côtes-de-Fer, Haiti, stood firm during Hurricane Matthew. Charles Setchell, Senior Shelter, Settlements and Hazard Mitigation Advisor at USAID and one of Medair’s key donors, expressed satisfaction that the upgraded transitional shelters and permanent homes Medair constructed after the earthquake survived the storm.

Medair has allocated USD 250,000 for the initial assessment and early response phase of Hurricane Matthew relief. The organisation’s current goal is to reach a minimum of 1,000 families by providing emergency shelter kits, critical household items and hygiene kits. Medair has shipped and will distribute health kits for 20,000 people in the area over the coming days.

Medair is an international relief agency headquartered in Switzerland. We help people who are suffering in remote and devastated communities around the world survive crises and recover with dignity, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or nationality.

Medair is a member of the Integral Alliance, a global alliance of Christian relief and development agencies.