Haiti Earthquake Recovery Picks Up Speed as Storm Looms

Bookmark

Aug 16 2021, 7:29 PMAug 16 2021, 8:39 PMAugust 16 2021, 7:29 PMAugust 16 2021, 8:39 PM

(Bloomberg) -- Recovery efforts in Haiti were picking up speed with the assistance of foreign countries after a major earthquake Saturday left almost 1,300 dead and Tropical Depression Grace was taking aim at the troubled Caribbean nation.

Facing complaints about slow government response, Prime Minister Ariel Henry on Monday said his administration will “act with greater speed” to aid “the maximum number of victims possible.”

The poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has been struggling with food shortages, widespread violence and political chaos in the wake of the July 7 murder of President Jovenel Moise.

The death toll from the magnitude 7.2 earthquake has continued to climb. Late Sunday the tally stood at 1,297 dead and more than 5,700 injured. To complicate matters, Tropical Depression Grace is expected to bring heavy rainfall Monday that the National Hurricane Center says could lead to flash flooding across Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the Cayman islands.

Foreign Aid

The U.S., Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and other nations are assisting with rescue and recovery work.

Late Sunday, the U.S. Agency for International Development said it had sent and additional 65 people, four search and rescue dogs and 52,000 pounds of tools and equipment to assist with efforts. Mexico Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said his country had sent 15.4 tons of aid to Haiti.

Henry signaled his government will exert more control over the aid pouring into the country, writing on Twitter that there was only “one front door for all help from outside and inside.”

“For reconstruction, everything must be supervised at the level of the central government and coordinated by the regional directorates,” he said.

The earthquake also damaged or destroyed hospitals, hotels, schools, churches, roads and bridges in Haiti’s southwestern peninsula.

Local aid agencies said hospitals in the Les Cayes -- the hard-hit town near the epicenter -- were overwhelmed. Haiti’s civil protection agency said it was transporting the most seriously injured to Port-au-Prince and other medical facilities out of the disaster zone.