(photos courtesy of http://www.alertnet.org)

Up to one-third of the population of Haiti has been affected by the January 12 earthquake, the worst seen in the country for 200 years.

The epicentre was at Carrefour, a city just 10 miles away from the capital (and Haiti’s biggest city) Port-au-Prince.

Widespread devastation
Both the hills and coastal areas of Port-au-Prince were badly impacted. Thousands of homes, roads, hospitals and government offices – including the Presidential Palace and UN headquarters - have been damaged or destroyed, which is making the recovery and rescue effort more difficult to coordinate.

The damage in terms of cost is expected to run into the billions, a cost that Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere, simply cannot afford.

There was large-scale damage on the hills side of the Petionville neighborhood, relatively close to the main ActionAid Haiti office (which was damaged but is still standing).

There is particular concern about the situation in the densely-populated slums of Port-au-Prince and the surrounds of Carrefour, where thousands of Haitians live in an already very precarious situation.

Haiti’s Prime Minister is estimating that up to 100,000 people may have been killed, and three million people could be affected. Many people are still trapped under the rubble of fallen buildings.

ActionAid in Haiti
Significant problems are arising from communications breakdowns in the capital and surrounding areas, with both mobile phone networks and landlines currently down or severely disrupted.

As a result, gathering information has been extremely difficult. We do know that the areas of Thiotte (where 1,167 sponsored child live) and Roseaux (home to 488 sponsored children) experienced only slight tremors, but we are still waiting for news on the majority of sponsored children.

Port-au-Prince is likely to be the most-affected region. Jacmel, on the south coast and home to the headquarters of CROSE (ActionAid Haiti’s partner organisation), has reportedly been badly-affected also.

Out of 23 ActionAid staff, most have been reached and are well, but some have lost their houses. Staff are assessing the damage and already organising the early stages of the response.

Extra emergency and international staff are being sent to the area to help deliver shelter and food and goods such as blankets and soap, as well as psychosocial support. We are hoping to reach up to 20,000 people, in particular women, children, the elderly and persons with disabilities.   

Staff from ActionAid Brazil and the ActionAid Americas office are arriving in Haiti to lead on rapid assessment of the situation, while media team members will be arriving shortly from the UK. 

Pledging support

President Obama has pledged $100 million in immediate aid and International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander announced a £6.2m package from the UK.

ActionAid supporters have given generously and one supporter donated £100,000 today. Thank you for your continued support: every pound and penny will make a genuine difference to people's lives.

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