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Haiti, hurricane Matthew: “I am forced to buy unsafe water”

Published on Tuesday 11 October 2016

In Haiti, one week after the passing of hurricane Matthew, , the increasingly affected victims are struggling to survive, such as Jacqueline and both her children whose house has been destroyed.

In the evening heat, in the undergrowth near Miragoane, in Les Nippes region, where SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL helps the victims of hurricane Matthew, some people are losing hope. Wells are flooded, water sources are unreachable or dried up, fields and crops are destroyed. Deprived of everything, including their houses which were blown away during the hurricane, many have nothing left to survive.

Haiti-Jacqueline

© Tugdual de Dieuleveult / SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL

Inhabitants are waiting for the aid which is being organised in harsh conditions because of the isolation of some affected areas. During assessments made by our teams, we met Jacqueline who confided about her ordeal and the horror she lived through, and that she keeps living..

“I don’t know how I’m going to manage”

“My name is Jacqueline and I am 52 years old. Because of the hurricane, I lost everything. During the storm, I was afraid. Metals sheeting was flying around and my roof was blown off. Because of the rain, my house was quickly flooded. My children and I were afraid but we had to flee in the rain to find refuge in a school. But, here again, fate caught up with us. The school collapsed too. We had to flee to a new shelter. Today, I have really lost everything. I don’t have food, I don’t have water to drink.

Today, my neighbors help me, they have bought water from a shop for me. But this water is not decontaminated. It is unsafe and I am scared of falling ill. Before, I went to a water source but because of the earthquake, it gave less water. Today, because of the hurricane, there is no more water. I am tired and sick, and I am afraid about tomorrow. I don’t know how I can get out of this ordeal.”

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  • 11.84 million inhabitants
  • 163rd out of 191 countries on the Human Development Index
  • 110.215 people helped