By Lynette Nyman, IFRC, Port-au-Prince
A night of the heaviest rains since the earthquake on January 12 prompted a Red Cross Red Crescent emergency response at the weekend in Port-au-Prince.
10 assessment teams visited 33 camp sites the morning after to determine what immediate shelter, relief, sanitation, and health needs there might be following the rains, as part of the organisation's disaster response activites.
"Heavy rains demanded a response, and we took action to alleviate worsened conditions in some of the camps," said Iain Logan, Head of Operation in Haiti for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
Most of the settlements were found to have held up quite well, but a few places had too much standing water, which can be a breeding place for mosquitos, as well as a few collapsed shelters, and flooded latrines. As a result, the Red Cross organized a relief distribution and activated a sanitation truck for the most affected camps visited after the rains.
"The rains have arrived as they do every year at this time in Haiti," said Logan. "We will continue to respond as part of our emergency relief and disaster preparedness and response activities."
Steps taken to improve sanitation
At Camp Mais Gate 2, aid workers with the Spanish Red Cross and the Haitian Red Cross worked together to remove water from blocked ditches and human waste from latrines that were near capacity and beginning to overflow, putting people at risk for contamination.
"Sludging latrines is hard and disgusting work, but if we do not do this before more heavy rain comes, then they will be completely full and the content will spill into the camp," said Jesus Baena, a sanitation delegate with the Spanish Red Cross.
In addition to the rapid response, the Red Cross is in the process of replacing many of the pit latrines put in immediately after the earthquake with flood-proof tank latrines. These actions are being taken as further means for protecting camp residents from getting diarrheal diseases.
Among the most affected people here are those whose self-made shelter leaked or collapsed during the rains. Many spent the night trying to sleep sitting up and spent their day repairing shelters or putting down gravel to improve drainage.
"We don't know what we will do when the rains get real bad except to rely on God and the people who are here to help us," said Venette Etienne, 23, at Camp Mais Gate 2.
Tarpaulins secure, but concern for disease
Among the largest camps in Port-au-Prince is La Piste where around 40,000 people live. More than double its original size since the quake, the camp has plentiful potable water provided by the French Red Cross and a basic health clinic run by the Finnish Red Cross.
In spite of the downpour, life was largely business as usual for camp residents. Women were busy washing clothes at water taps while children flew hand-made kites. All around them, however, were possible sources for disease outbreak.
"Overall water drainage was good, but we still want to decrease the potential for malaria through the reduction of standing water," said Pete Garrett, relief operations manager for the British Red Cross.
Recently improved rubbish removal has helped to mitigate some water problems. Open pits will soon be filled or covered with tank latrines further reducing the areas in which mosquitoes thrive.
Even the most shallow puddles are ripe for mosquitoes. As part of the work towards disaster risk reduction, the Red Cross is shortly boosting its distribution of mosquito nets to populations in the most vulnerable camps, and increasing supplies of malarial medications in health clinics and hospital in the region.