Three months after Hurricane Matthew, 1.5 million Haitians face hunger

Desdemona Despair

18 January 2017 (United Nations) – While the number of Haitians facing hunger in areas hardest hit by Hurricane Matthew has declined steadily in the three months since the deadly storm ripped through the tiny island nation, more than 1.5 million people nevertheless remain food insecure, the United Nations said today.

The UN World Food Programme released findings from a joint assessment conducted in December with the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and Haiti’s National Coordination for Food Security (CNSA).

“The results of the assessment show the very positive impact of our collective efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, but also the pressing need to continue and redirect assistance to new areas with higher levels of food insecurity, as well as initiate recovery interventions,” said Ronald Tran Ba Huy, WFP’s Representative in Haiti.

Findings showed that people in the southern areas of Grande-Anse and Sud, the hardest hit areas of the country, are better off. An estimated 400,000 face hunger and food insecurity, as compared with one million shortly after Matthew hit.

The Government and UN partners have been providing food to these areas, along with seeds, tools, and financial resources.

Meanwhile, areas in the west – such as Artibonite, Nippes, and La Gonave – even though the impact of the hurricane there was smaller, are worse off. The insecurity is blamed on cycles of drought and flooding which preceded the hurricane by three years.

Noting the uneven improvements as a result of the different interventions, Nathanaël Hishamunda, FAO’s representative in Haiti, said that there is now a need to “consolidate the gains made by working hand in hand with the Government, with the goal of reinforcing our interventions in the most vulnerable communities.”

Given the ongoing needs, the humanitarian community in Haiti has requested $113 million to support food security and agriculture for this year.

Three months after Hurricane Matthew, 1.5 million Haitians face hunger – UN agencies report