On Saturday, August 14, 2021, Haiti suffered a major 7.2 magnitude earthquake 150km west of Port-au-Prince in South West Haiti, followed by a 5.2 magnitude earthquake also in the South West. Haitian authorities have reported over 2,000 people have died and it's estimated over 12,000 have been injured, though there are fears the true figure could be much higher.
A 7.2-magnitude earthquake rocked the island of Haiti on the morning of August 14th. To date, over 2,000 people have been killed and over 12,000 have been injured. Some reports state that over 1.5million people have been affected, including over 500,000 children. Tropical Storm Grace hit Haiti on the following Tuesday, bringing strong winds and rain to the earthquake affected area, impacting tens of thousands of families left homeless and making access to impacted areas even harder.
Hope Health Action are are working with our partner hospital in Haiti, HCBH, to increase our capacity for inpatient rehabilitation by up to 20 beds. The HHA Walkabout Wheelchair Distribution Centre, will send 80 wheelchairs to partners on the frontline, to support their rehabilitation efforts and we are partnering with The Baptist Convention of Haiti who are coordinating a local effort to send and distribute food, water and hygiene kits to approx. 3,000 people in remote areas.
Similarly to the 2010 earthquake, rehabilitation referrals can take time with a host of challenging obstacles to appropriately identify, stabilise and transfer patients, but it is important we are prepared for an additional influx of rehab patients in the coming weeks. These patients may remain at our partner hospital for a number of months, receiving specialist treatment and care.
