Montserrat is to support relief and recovery efforts in Haiti’s as the country struggles to cope with the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew.
Director of the Disaster Management Coordination Agency (DMCA) Billy Darroux will be deployed to the hurricane-ravaged country for about two weeks as part of the Caricom Operational Support Team (COST), comprising representatives from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) participating states.
The COST team will provide operational support to Haiti’s National Emergency Management system, which involves working with the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), Damage Assessment Teams and supporting logistics and emergency communication.
Darroux, who left the island on Thursday, October 27, 2016, will also assist with providing translation services for the team, as he’s fluent in Creole, an offshoot of French.
The Montserrat DMCA Director’s involvement in Haiti is at the request of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).
Powerful Category 4 Hurricane Matthew left widespread devastation and killed many people in Haiti early this month.
The National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) in Haiti latest damage and injury report as of 14th October 2016 indicates the confirmed fatalities stand at 546, with 128 persons still missing and 439 injured.
Most of the deaths in Haiti were in towns and fishing villages around the southern coast, with many killed by falling trees, flying debris and swollen rivers.
According to the United Nations, 1.4 million people are in need of humanitarian aid and almost 90 percent of some areas of Haiti’s south had been completely destroyed.
