Hurricane Matthew: Handicap International to send emergency teams to support relief effort

As Hurricane Matthew moves through the Caribbean, Handicap International plans to deploy an emergency team to Haiti in support of teams already present in the country. The team will assess needs and support people affected by the disaster. It is expected to leave within 48 hours, once affected areas become accessible again.

An initial team of eight emergency specialists will be sent to Haiti to support teams already on the ground. Handicap International’s initial response will focus on providing logistics support to help conduct the first situation and humanitarian needs assessments, at the request of the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC).

“Given the scale of the disaster and its probable impact, some inhabitants may have lost everything and must been given assistance,” explains Hélène Robin, Handicap International’s emergency response manager. “They need emergency material assistance to meet their basic needs.”

In addition to the distribution of basic needs items, Handicap International will provide emergency rehabilitation care and psychosocial support to injured people and affected families.

Hurricane Matthew, the most powerful Caribbean hurricane in nearly a decade, made landfall on the south-western tip of Haiti, bringing 145 mph winds, heavy rain and dangerours storm surges.

At least 5 million people in Haiti may be affected and more than 300,000 may need immediate assistance, according to the United Nations and Haiti’s Civil Protection Department. In response to the disaster, the Haitian government has already called on humanitarian actors to provide international assistance.