Humanitarian aid for Haiti following devastating earthquake

In light of the devastating effects of the massive earthquake that struck Haiti on August 14, the European Union is allocating €3 million in humanitarian funding to address the most urgent needs of the affected communities.

Janez Lenarcic, Commissioner for Crisis Management said, “Urgent humanitarian needs are following the devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti. The EU is quickly mobilising support to this already extremely fragile country, where hurricanes and heavy rainfalls aggravate the dire situation even more. The earthquake strikes at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic and the escalating insecurity already posed a threat to the country. We stand ready to provide further assistance.”

In order to ensure the fastest possible intervention, EU funds will be implemented by humanitarian partners already active in the emergency response and will support and strengthen their capacity to swiftly provide humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable Haitians. The funding will address the most immediate needs such as the provision of medical assistance to local overwhelmed hospitals, water, sanitation and hygiene services, shelter and protection services for the most affected and disadvantaged communities.

On August 14, a 7.2-magnitude and 10-kilometres deep earthquake hit the southwestern part of Haiti, killing more than 1,300 people and injuring almost 6,000. Strong shakes have destroyed buildings and homes, severely damaged hospitals and schools and disrupted water networks, roads and bridges.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, please remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.