On Thursday, October 6, 2016, one of the largest Atlantic tropical storms in nearly a decade, Hurricane Matthew roared across the Caribbean leaving a path of destruction across Haiti on its slow march north through Cuba, the Bahamas, and eventually, the southeast U.S.

Hundreds of thousands have already been displaced by the category 4 storm that has resulted in a great need for water, sanitation, hygiene, food, and housing support.

Current responders identified by the Center for Disaster Philanthropy

CARE is responding to this devastating storm with clean drinking water, food assistance and emergency supplies such as tarps for shelter, blankets and hygiene kits. CARE is currently providing meals to hundreds of people in evacuation shelters. CARE is one of the largest humanitarian organizations within Haiti.

Doctors of the World has deployed an emergency response team with three tons of medical and emergency supplies to Haiti to support relief and recovery in storm-affected areas. In-country staff have been focused on cholera prevention and sexual and reproductive health prior to the storm and are beginning needs assessments.

Mercy Corps is working in Haiti to meet urgent needs following Hurricane Matthew and will shift to long-term recovery following assessment. Mercy Corps was present in Haiti prior to the storm.

Save the Children has a 30-plus year presence in Haiti. National staff is distributing pre-positioned supplies to affected families. Focus points will be on cholera suppression, support to school recovery, and help ensure families have food and livelihoods. STC has launched a $4.5 million funding appeal to reach 200,000 children and families in Haiti. The organization has also deployed its Emergency Health unit in anticipation of a worsening cholera epidemic and has prepositioned staff in Florida ahead of the storm’s U.S. landfall.

World Vision has staff on the ground, providing relief supplies and conducting assessments. World Vision’s 200 rural and urban communities in Haiti serve more than 900,000 people, including 58,000 sponsored children.

 

CFT's Strategy on Disaster Relief

An effective response, regardless of where a natural disaster occurs, requires sustained involvement on behalf of donors, responding organizations and a myriad of other actors.  The bulk of disaster dollars are often allocated during the emergency humanitarian relief phase (with a focus on emergency food, shelter, water, sanitation and health care).  Emergency relief is vital.  Still, experts agree that disaster relief dollars are insufficient to meet the medium- and long-term needs of disaster-affected communities. CFT recommends responding to the complete timeline of the disaster management effort: from immediate relief to recovery, and then to reconstruction and rebuilding.

Funding Criteria

In evaluating potential funding partners, CFT follows four key considerations:

      • Experience – relevant, pre-existing presence in the affected location and an understanding of the community context prior to the disaster.
      • Comprehensive Plan – ability to effectively meet the needs based on the current relief situation and with the capacity to develop and then implement a robust recovery plan.
      • Sustained Impact – potential to reduce poverty and improve the lives of affected people – moving them beyond where they were pre-disaster.
      • Effectively Partner – strong understanding of the landscape of actors working in the recovery effort and the ability to work closely with the range of national, international and community based organizations involved in the disaster response.

CFT's approach to long-term rebuilding efforts

For more information, visit the Center for Disaster Philanthropy

 

 

 

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Communities Foundation of Texas

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