200,000 Still Homeless In Haiti As Rainy Season Nears

With the rainy season fast approaching, aid workers in Haiti are struggling to find solutions for the over 200,000 homeless residents living in areas at severe risk for floods. If they don't act quickly, relief organizations fear that massive flooding will result in a second deadly disaster in Haiti.

The Haitian government is attempting to buy new land in order to relocate earthquake survivors outside of Port-au-Prince. This process is too slow, aid organizations fear, and doesn't take into account the wishes of the Haitian people, many of whom don't want to move away from the city.

"Relocation is what people focus on because it's very visual, you can see the site, and because of all the dynamics of identifying the land, buying the land," the UN spokeswoman said.

"It's dramatic. But there are other choices that are available for people and if they are better for people and they are available we want them to take them. We want people to be where they want to be."

The United Nations relief workers are confident they can provide tents to all 200,000 before the rainy season starts. U.N. workers report having reached 63 percent of the targeted population, and they expect to reach the remaining families by May 1.

Comments

[realitytrumpsbull]

04:23 AM on 03/17/2010

Looks like it's time to build tents. A tent is a humble abode, but as a relative of mine once said, 'keeps the rain out'. What's better, tents can be relocated. If they focus on establishing good drainage, they can build tent sites that can accomodate many people, fairly quickly, quick enough to provide protection to people that might otherwise suffer due to exposure. Short-term solutions to build a bridge to longer-term improvements...

[imsosure]

01:58 AM on 03/17/2010

It's terrible for sure however, a bout
107,000 Veterans are homeless on a typical night.

http://[e-mail]

[charmante]

09:33 PM on 03/16/2010

Land redistribution should be the order of the day since folks will not move to the country side where there is no infrastructure to absorb them and where they will be forgotten.