Above: flooding in Haiti during Sandy (Photo: Pwoteksyon Sivil)
By the Caribbean Journal staff
United States Ambassador to Haiti Pamela White is asking for additional funding from Washington to help Haiti’s agriculture sector following damage from Hurricane Sandy.
The storm ravaged the country’s western and southern regions, leading to significant flooding and damage to Haiti’s agriculture.
“The US government is doing everything possible to assist the Haitian government in its heroic efforts to serve the Haitian people,” White said in a statement Wednesday. “Today, I asked for additional funds in Washington. We expect to provide assistance for the benefit of agriculture, the sector hit hardest hit by Sandy in southern Haiti.”
The US Agency for International Development has been distributing relief supplies to families affected by the storm, helping what it said was about 10,000 people. The agency has also distributed family hygiene kits to 12,500 people along with around 6,400 blankets.
USAID is also providing 50 metric tonnes of food to 9250 people in the southern department, which is projected to last for about 15 days.
The government said it was continuing discussions with Haiti’s government to identify additional ways to cope with the problem of food insecurity.
Another concern is a potential increase in cholera cases in Haiti. Accordingly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have provided 2,500 of Ringer Lactate solution for intravenous treatment of cholera.
The storm has killed 54 people in Haiti since arriving last week, according to the most recent data from Haiti’s Office of Civil Protection.