Haiti Calls for Caution as Prime Minister Mobilizes Storm Response
Above: the National Palace in Haiti (Photo: OP Haiti)
By the Caribbean Journal staff
Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe called for caution as the country readied response teams for the expected arrival of Tropical Storm Isaac in the country.
Lamothe said his government would regularly release information regarding the movement of the storm, and urged actors in the risk management and disaster sectors to mobilize.
The Prime Minister also advised citizens of the 177, 116, *300 and 114 telephone information numbers. Telephone operators in Haiti will also be broadcasting text messages regarding the storm’s path.
Alta Jean-Baptiste, Haiti’s Director of Emergency Preparedness, said authorities had not yet banned road traffic but “may do so in case of need.”
Haiti’s Directorate of Civil Protection will be making updates every three hours, according to Jean-Baptiste.
Haiti currently has 118,000 bottles of water available, along with 100,000 hygiene kits, 1,500 temporary shelters and 32 boats to improve the logistics of relief assistance.
Haiti’s National Police and its specialized units are also on alert.
It is not clear how the country will address the hundreds of thousands of Haitians living in temporary camps due to the 2010 earthquake.
