Caribbean: Picking up the pieces after Isaac

Thousands in Haiti and the Dominican Republic are recovering after Tropical Storm Isaac damaged and destroyed homes and crops.

Continued heavy rains raised further flooding concerns, as well as risk of disease outbreak.

Days before making landfall as a Category 1 hurricane over Louisiana, the storm wreaked havoc in the two Caribbean nations, killing at least 21 people and forcing thousands to evacuate.

In Haiti, damaged areas include Port-au-Prince and temporary camps near the city where survivors of the 2010 earthquake live.

More than 2,300 homes were damaged or destroyed, 99 of those in areas World Vision serves. Three sponsored children were in a home damaged by the storm. 

“My situation was difficult before, and now I don’t even have a tent to live in,” said Wuiss Lebon, 37, a resident of an earthquake survivors’ camp World Vision supports. 

Residents in the south and southwest regions of the Dominican Republic experienced the strongest effects of the storm in that country.

Approximately 25,800 people were displaced by Tropical Storm Isaac, while more than 2,200 homes were damaged or destroyed.

More than 1,800 children supported through World Vision’s sponsorship programs were affected. 

World Vision has responded in both countries by distributing prepositioned supplies, which include: food, water, hygiene and cooking kits, tarps, mattresses, and rope.

In addition, the organisation is working with governments and other international aid agencies to provide relief to affected residents.

World Vision is also assessing long-term needs, which include providing shelter and mitigating the risk of diseases such as dengue and cholera.