1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites

Emergency aid: Help after the earthquake in Haiti

September 4, 2021

In mid-August, a major earthquake struck Haiti. Over 2000 people were killed, and 160,000 families lost their homes. In the worst-affected areas in the south, tensions are running high. Aid shipments are subject to looting.

https://p.dw.com/p/3zuaj

Plastic sheets are highly sought-after in the parts of Haiti devastated by the earthquake; homeless families can use them to shelter from the rain. But drinking water, rice and other food staples are urgently needed in the region around the port town of Les Cayes. Many people accuse the Haitian government of sitting on its hands. Even before the disaster, Haiti had been struggling through years of continuous political crisis, culminating in the recent assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. International aid organizations such as Core often face daunting challenges in reaching especially remote parts of the disaster area. Most of the quake victims are left to fend for themselves. Under the hot sun and with hardly any tools, they try to rebuild as much as they can of what the earthquake left of their daily lives. A report by Xenia Boettcher.