HAITI - Contingency Planning On-Going as Hurricane Tomas Approaches - IOM is working with the Government of Haiti, the UN stabilization mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and humanitarian agencies to plan a response to Hurricane Tomas, which could strike the south of the country this week. Hundreds of thousands of Haitians as well as many of the 1.3 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who have been homeless since the earthquake of 12 January 2010 would be endangered by Hurricane Tomas.
The immediate needs include hundreds of thousands of tarpaulins to replace damaged shelters, ropes, a greater number of water purification tablets, oral rehydration salts as well as new and replacement latrines, soap and blankets. There is also a need for large numbers of buckets, flashlights and small windup radios to keep the population informed.
"It's time for the international community to act with great urgency so that we can respond to the basic humanitarian needs of the vulnerable of Haiti," said Luca Dall'Oglio, Chief of Mission for IOM Haiti.
Preparing for the worst case scenario, IOM's Camp Management Operations (CMO) Unit has already moved 117 families living in tents in an area of Corail Cesselesse camp, to temporary shelters (t-shelters) built by the IOM Shelter Unit.
The transfer operation began early on Sunday morning and lasted 5 hours. It was coordinated with the American Refugee Committee (ARC) Camp Management Agency in Corail and UN police (UNPOL). IOM Shelter provided logistics while its Registration Units verified that everyone transferred was also registered and that there was proper follow-up action from departure to arrival in the t-shelters.
After the movement, used tents were folded and stored and the ground prepared for new t-shelters being built in the coming weeks. This move concludes the relocation of a total of 228 families from tents to t-shelters installed by IOM. During the first movement carried out on 26 September, 111 vulnerable families were transferred.
But for most IDPs and those living in communities vulnerable to flooding, there are few good options. The projected trajectory of Hurricane Tomas slices across Haiti and its landfall could see winds of up to one-hundred-miles-per-hour. These could be accompanied by bands of torrential rain certain to shred the already fragile IDP shelters. There are many camps at risk from landslides and flash flooding if the storm strikes. For these camps the most prudent course of action would be immediate evacuation.
Although most IDP camps are located in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, a sizeable number are in the coastal cities of Jacmel and Les Cayes, which are particularly vulnerable to tropical storms.
Hurricane Tomas is coming hard on the heels of the cholera epidemic which struck as Haiti was struggling to its feet 10 months after the devastating earthquake. Cholera is still spreading south towards the capital city Port-au-Prince while hurricane Tomas pushes north towards Haiti's shores.
Even if Tomas only brushes Haiti, it may exacerbate the epidemic, facilitating the spread of the disease into and throughout metropolitan Port-au-Prince where a third of the population remains homeless and in camps.
A still greater danger exists in Haiti's slums, like Cite Soleil, where sanitation is almost non-existent. The water-supply is untreated and often located metres from open latrines.
For more information contact: Leonard Doyle, IOM Haiti Media and Communications. Tel: +509 3702 5066, Email: ldoyle@iom.int
PAKISTAN - IOM's Humanitarian Call Centre "Fully Operational," Receives over 1,000 Calls a Day - IOM's Humanitarian Call Centre is now fully operational nationwide, providing flood victims in all affected provinces with practical information on where to find humanitarian services and how to access them.
The toll-free helpline operated by the Peshawar-based call centre has received between 1,000 and 1,800 calls a day since it geared up to full operations mode last week. Initial software and telephone signal problems, which had limited the outreach of the centre, have been resolved successfully.
"We get many calls from people in the south of Pakistan asking for shelter," says IOM Mass Communications Project Officer Maria Ahmad. The southern province of Sindh has been particularly hard hit by the floods, with an estimated one million houses destroyed or damaged and over 600,000 flood victims still in need of emergency shelter.
A large number of callers are now also asking how to diagnose and treat dengue fever, which is endemic in some areas of Pakistan and typically occurs at this time of year. Many callers also want to know how to register for government compensation.
"The call centre gives flood victims timely and accurate information on help they truly need. It is an innovative way to protect the rights of poor and vulnerable people affected by the disaster. For example, it can tell them how to get watan (government compensation) cards," says Ahmad.
Ten IOM employees answer people's questions using a computer-based calling programme, headphones and a booklet with the phone numbers of all aid agencies and government offices that the caller can contact if the call centre does not have the answer.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where the helpline was first established, the IOM employees have the support of a network of around 130 local volunteers in flood-affected areas who talk to people about their needs and concerns.
"We are now running a country-wide information campaign through radio and the Yellow Pages to make people aware of our service," Ahmad says, adding that she expects calls to triple in the coming weeks.
The call centre is part of IOM's mass communications programme, which is a comprehensive information service for flood victims, humanitarian organizations and the government.
Dedicated relief and media professionals use a variety of communication channels, including radio, banners and direct communication from aid worker to flood victim to provide people with practical information about humanitarian services.
The programme includes a SMS service to keep relief workers up-to-date on developments in flood-affected areas as well as print campaigns to inform people about relief provided by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
For more information on IOM's mass communications program please visit http://www.mcommsorg.net/
For more information on IOM's activities in Pakistan, to download the IOM Appeal or to donate to IOM's flood response, please go to: http://www.iom.int/jahia/Jahia/pakistan.
For media queries please contact IOM Islamabad. Saleem Rehmat, Tel: +92.300 856 0341, Email: srehmat@iom.int. Or Eliane Engeler, Tel: +92.300 852 6357. Email: eengeler@iom.int
