On 14 August 2021, a magnitude-7.2 earthquake struck the Tiburon Peninsula in the Caribbean nation of Haiti. It had a 10-kilometer-deep (6.2 mi) hypocenter near the west of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
In the aftermath of the earthquake that rocked southwestern Haiti, 1,400 people are dead and more than 6,900 others injured, while hundreds more are still missing.
According to Haitian Civil Protection, more than 37,300 homes have been destroyed and 46,000 have sustained damages, leaving thousands homeless and creating pressing shelter and WASH needs.
The number of fatalities from the earthquake is estimated at 2,189 as of 19 August 2021. It is the deadliest earthquake and deadliest natural disaster of 2021, and the deadliest disaster that struck the nation since the 2010 earthquake. Over half a million children were also affected by the Earthquake as it is predicted to have a devastating effect on their future. “Right now, about half a million Haitian children have limited or no access to shelter, safe water, health care, and nutrition,” said Bruno Maes, UNICEF'S Representative in Haiti.
Criminal violence and insecurity complicate the humanitarian response, and the main road from Port-au-Prince to the south of the country is controlled by gangs.
The hardest-hit departments of South, Nippes, and Grand’Anse are now being drenched by Tropical Depression Grace, which is further disrupting access to water, shelter, and other basic services. Flooding and mudslides are likely to worsen the situation of vulnerable families and further complicate the humanitarian response.
Countless Haitian families who have lost everything due to the earthquake are now living literally with their feet in the water due to the flooding.
Sources
https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/over-half-million-children-affected-haiti-earthquake
Research Coordinator - Avani Sood
Editor- Vaishnavi Bhojane
Graphics - Ankitha Ganesan
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