Shelter deteriorates for thousands in Haiti as heavy rains continue

Heavy rains hit Haiti this week as hundreds of thousands remain in makeshift shelters. The organization Partners in Health says that the need for sanitation and clean water is "extreme." The group runs health posts for five spontaneous settlements and reports that the clinics are still seeing around 6,000 patients every week. Attention has also turned toward offering rehabilitation services for amputees and providing prosthetics to patients, but staff and supplies are still short.

Executive Director Ophelia Dahl spoke to reporters on a teleconference today. She explained witnessing hundreds of thousands of residents in Port Au Prince in flimsy shelters. With the recent rains over the past few days, she said, the conditions are deteriorating.

“So what little people have is now soaked, they’re sleeping in the rain and the makeshift shelters are already breaking down and dissolving and the conditions for these homeless and displaced people are absolutely inhuman and getting worse every single day."

Partners in Health also said that they have stopped calling the shelters "tent cities" because it implies a structure that does not exist. Ted Constan, the group's Chief Program Officer, said the disaster has changed the landscape, making it more precarious.

"The other thing we've understood is that with the earthquake there are a lot of changes to the rock and underlying aquifer in Port Au Prince so as the rain comes the water isn’t even going to go in its normal pathways so there will be flooding and mudslides in areas that have never experienced it before. Probably the worst scenario right now is if you’re on a mountainside in a settlement camp because you're in trouble."

Constan said that what is required is to move beyond tarps to more resilient transitional shelter that can withstand strong wind and rains.

The International Organization of Migration launched an effort in the end of February to register those living in makeshift camps. In announcing the effort, the IOM predicted heavy rains to begin mid-March, but it appears this year that the rainy season is coming earlier and making recovery efforts dire.