1 Month Haiti Report (PDF)

HAITI
Airlink Response to
Hurricane Matthew

CONTENT
THE SITUATION

3

AIRLINK RESPONSE

4

BY THE NUMBERS

5

OUR PARTNERS

6

STORIES FROM THE FIELD
All Hands Volunteers

7

CADENA

8

Heart to Heart International

9

International Medical Corps

10

World Hope International

11

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THE SITUATION
Overview

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene

On October 4, Hurricane Matthew made landfall in
the southwestern part of Haiti as a Category 4 storm,
with maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per
hour. The storm also brought significant wind, rain,
and destruction to Cuba, the Dominican Republic,
Jamaica, the Bahamas, and the US East Coast.
Matthew was the strongest storm to hit Haiti in 50
years, and three weeks later, officials are reporting
that 546 people have died.

According to the UN, an estimated 1.25 million
continue to need WASH assistance. As flooding in
many areas continues, safe water and strengthening
of sanitation infrastructure are of the utmost
importance. Additional rains in the region this week
are expected to further deteriorate sanitation
conditions.

Logistics
Port-au-Prince began operating normally within days
of the hurricane, and customs clearance, while
feasible, is not an insurmountable challenge. Last
mile logistics continues to be a major struggle. One
month later, NGOs report continued major access
constraints in the southern West End, exacerbated
by continued bad weather.

Health and Nutrition

Shelter

Addressing the spread of cholera is a high priority for
the aid community. Between October 4 and 19, at
least 2,271 new cases have been reported, and OCHA
anticipates that this number will continue to climb as
more suspected cases are confirmed. Medical stocks
continue to run low in affected areas, and UNICEF
and PAHO are working to provide 900,000 people
with vaccines.

Approximately 175,500 people continue to be
displaced to 307 shelters across Grand’Anse, Sud,
Nippes, and Ouest Departments. Approximately
52,000 people remain in camps set up in 2010
following the earthquake; the NGO community and
the Government of Haiti continue to work to avoid
the formation of more camps. Sexual and genderbased violence and exploitation are major concerns
for those who were displaced; in Haiti, as many as 1
in 4 women experience gender-based violence, and 1
in 10 experience sexual violence (per a study from
UNFPA).

Up to 100% of agriculture was affected in Grand’Anse
and Sud, and the storm and subsequent flooding
have decimated livestock. Reports indicate 806,000
people are food insecure.

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AIRLINK RESPONSE
Beginning in the days before the hurricane, Airlink
experienced high demand for transportation
assistance from its NGO network, as both relief
personnel and aid materials were needed to address
the crisis. Together with Avianca, Copa Airlines,
JetBlue Airways, and United Airlines, Airlink helped
deploy 39 personnel on Disaster Assistance Response
Teams (DARTs), groups of relief personnel, and
medical teams from NGO partners All Hands
Volunteers, AmeriCares, CADENA, Disaster Tech
Lab, Heart to Heart International, and Save the
Children. These organizations are working on
projects from general and emergency health
services, to provision of clean water supplies and
solar lamps, to creating child-safe spaces, to clearing
debris and building temporary learning centers and
schools.
Airlink sent its first charter flight in response to
Hurricane Matthew from Miami to Port-au-Prince,
Haiti on October 18. The flight carried more than
100,000 pounds of medical and WASH supplies via
AmeriJet from NGO partners AmeriCares,
International Medical Corps, MAP International,
MedShare, and World Hope International.
At the same time, Airlink deployed its first-ever Field
Operations team to assist in NGO coordination and

ensure smooth logistical operations for our partners
sending supplies.
On Monday, October 31, Airlink deployed 2
helicopter assets – a Bell 412 and a Bell 429EP –
through a generous donation of capabilities from
Bell Helicopter. The purpose of this additional
deployment was to augment current private and
WFP-supported rotary assets serving hard-to-reach
areas in Les Cayes, Jeremie, La Gonave, and Les
Anglais, among other areas, with last-mile lift for
cargo and transport for aid personnel. Over the
course of the week, Airlink worked with Bell crews
and NGO partners to bring IV solutions and food aid
to underserved and cut-off areas of Haiti that were
affected by the hurricane.
A second flight to Haiti in aid of ongoing needs was
sent on Tuesday, November 1, carrying 175,000
pounds of supplies to address food insecurity,
general medical aid, and cholera mitigation and
care.
NGO
partners
included
Adventist
Development and Relief Agency, AmeriCares,
FERHA, MAP International, MedShare, and
Partners in Health. The supplies were transported
by Western Global Airlines, and were cleared
through customs the same day, thanks to the
logistics expertise of Airlink staff on the ground.

4

BY THE NUMBERS

1.4M

2.1M

141K

People in need

People affected

People displaced

2

276,000

39

Chartered Flights

Pounds of cargo sent

Personnel Deployed

13
6

NGO partners

airline partners

$483,994

3

in value delivered to NGOs

logistics partners
5

OUR PARTNERS
NGO Partners

Aviation Partners

Logistics Partners

6

Rebuilding in Port Salut
ALL HANDS VOLUNTEERS
Airlink, in coordination with Avianca, JetBlue Airways and United Airlines, has
supported transportation for 13 of All Hands Volunteers’ personnel to Haiti in
response to Hurricane Matthew.
In the four weeks since Hurricane Matthew devastated the country, All Hands
Volunteers has cleared rubble and debris from 6 schools in Port Salut, helping 1400
students get back to school. Due to the current instability and resulting security
concerns, which is likely to be exacerbated by the upcoming elections, the All Hands
team will be departing Haiti during the next week or so - Airlink helicopters have
provided emergency evacuation of 11 staff members and volunteers to date.
All Hands continues to coordinate deployment of food resources in coordination
with Airlink helicopter operations and local NGOs through the week of Nov 7.

7

WASH Support in Southern Haiti
CADENA
Airlink, in coordination with Copa Airlines and JetBlue Airways, has supported
transportation for CADENA’s 9-person volunteer team from Mexico and the
Southern US to Haiti in response to Hurricane Matthew.
The CADENA team deployed one week after the hurricane, on October 13. They
immediately traveled to the hard-hit city of Les Cayes, serving the communes of
Chantal, Saint-Jean du Sud, and Torbek by strategically installing water filters in
churches, schools, and clinics throughout the affected areas, providing medical
consults, and distributing solar lamps and cholera medicines where possible.
The team worked closely with UN peacekeeping forces to ensure their security
throughout the mission, and was able to assist at least 31,775 people with access
to clean water, solar power, and medical consultations over the course of their 8day mission.

8

Medical Relief in Marfranc
HEART TO HEART INTERNATIONAL
Airlink, in coordination with JetBlue Airways and United Airlines, has supported
transportation for 11 medical and disaster assessment staff for HHI.
One day before Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti, Heart to Heart International
deployed an international DART preposition for assessment of health needs in the
aftermath of the storm. HHI is well established in the country, and immediately
began providing care in Sud-Est. The organization was tasked with leading the
healthcare and cholera treatment work in the Marfranc Commune, an area with
approximately 23,000 residents. The food, water and health systems in Marfranc
were decimated by the storm, and a mobile clinic was required to meet the needs
of the commune. The mobile medical units traveled into the mountain areas that
had little-to-no previous access to healthcare, providing basic and emergency care
for as many as 60 people per day.
A total of 572 hygiene kits have been distributed to the most affected families in 3
Communes (Grand-Gosier, Thiotte, and Anse-a-Pitre), and saw at least 5,938
patients. HHI’s work in Haiti continues through in-country staff and facilities.
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