Below is a general overview of how we’ve responded to the earthquake in Haiti and our current activities. Updated June 9, 2010
- Within 2 days of the quake, we began chlorinating and delivering 320,000 gallons of safe, chlorinated tankered water to some of the most marginalized communities in of Port-au-Prince.
- We provided GPS coordinates of our water stations to the US military and USAID, the later of which incorporated our information into a map of the post-quake water system in Port-au-Prince.
- We were also renting 23 private water storage reservoirs in Cite Soleil, Port-au-Prince’s worst slum, to provide water relief to residents there.
- In addition, we’ve sent 9 pallets of chlorine (5 tons)–enough to clean up to 200 million gallons of water–with the help of the US military, Globus, USAID, and Seven Mercies. Chlorine tablets and chlorinators, as well as appropriate training on how to maintain and use them, are made free of charge for any organization with demonstrated need and where gravity flow chlorination can be applied.
- We also passed out more than 30,000 albendazole de-worming pills after the quake to stem gastro-intestinal worm diseases, specifically targeting children.
- We’ve also shipped over 120 new chlorinators and 100 150-gallon capacity water tanks provide clean water and water storage to areas that didn’t have it before.
- A truck laden with PVC fittings and 200 mosquito nets just arrived in Haiti.
- Local staff are currently working to repair damaged/destroyed chlorinators and water tanks, water tank support structures. Since the quake, we’ve installed 13 chlorinators for 5 communities and upgraded another 14.
- With the approval of DINEPA, the Haitian water agency, this month we will begin rebuilding the public water system—Christian Aid Ministries is helping us ship our first batch of (34) 2,000 gallon water tanks to Haiti. They left for Port-au-Prince on June 1. These tanks will be used to replace the 87 public water tanks destroyed or damaged in the quake.
- We have also been partnering with the UNICEF Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Cluster to distribute emergency water and hygiene materials to needy communities. UNICEF items that we’ve requisitioned and begun to distribute include adult hygiene kits, soap, tarps, 500 collapsible 10-liter water jugs for families, and (8) 5,000 liter water bladders for 4 schools.
- International Action is also teaming with local partners to complete the first comprehensive microbial testing of Port-au-Prince’s two major water sources and the 15 surviving public water tanks, both before and after chlorination.
