LES CAYES, Haiti – The United Nations said it would launch an appeal Wednesday seeking nearly $200 million to help Haiti in its recovery effort after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck nearly two weeks ago, causing large-scale damage across the southern peninsula.
Two days after the Aug. 10 quake hit southwestern Haiti, Tropical Depression Grace dumped heavy rains in the same quake-affected regions, causing flooding and blocking access to roads.
"As you can imagine, additional human and financial resources are needed to respond to the crisis," Stephan Dujarric, spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, said Tuesday as the U.N.'s acting deputy emergency relief coordinator, Ramesh Rajasingham, visited Haiti and the regions affected by the deadly tremor.
The epicenter of the powerful quake was 8 miles southeast of Petit-Troude-Nippes in the department of Nippes. The regional departments of the Southwest and Grand'Anse also suffered widespread damage, decimating some rural communities. All three regions were devastated by Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
More than 2,200 people were killed in the quake when homes, hospitals and churches collapsed. More than 12,200 people were injured and more than 130,000 houses were either damaged or destroyed. Haiti's Office of Civil Protection, which is leading the quake response, said about 800,000 people have been affected and an estimated 650,000 people — 40% of the 1.6 million people living in the three affected departments — are in need of emergency humanitarian assistance.
Even though the latest earthquake was less catastrophic than the 2010 temblor, which left more than 300,00 dead and 1.5 million injured, the impact has been devastating, the U.N. said.
The U.N.'s appeal is for $187.3 million and targets a half-million individuals of the 650,000 most vulnerable.
"We need efforts for recovery and reconstruction to start in earnest and simultaneously with the humanitarian response," Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henry said.
