Latin America and the Caribbean to the Earthquake
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LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN Weekly Situation Update (9-15 August 2021) As of 16 August 2021 KEY FIGURES HAITI: EARTHQUAKE A 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Needs in affected areas are dire, given K south-western Haiti on 14 August, with the disruption to essential services. 1.3 the epicentre some 125km west of the Affected communities require healthcare DEATHS REPORTED FOLLOWING capital Port-au-Prince. With a depth and safe water, those displaced need 7.2 EARTHQUAKE IN SOUTHERN of 10km, the shallow quake destroyed shelter and the quake’s impact on HAITI AS OF 16 AUGUST or damaged buildings and homes, family and social networks are leaving infrastructure and roads. Per Haiti’s Civil many in need of protection. Response Protection, there are 1,297 deaths and efforts are facing various challenges 13K 5,700 people injured, figures that will between the COVID-19 pandemic and HOMES DESTROYED BY likely grow. the imminent approach of a tropical EARTHQUAKE, WITH ANOTHER depression. Insecurity-related access 13,000 AFFECTED The Sud, Grand'Anse and Nippes constraints to southern Haiti, virtually departments, particularly the cities of Les unreachable in the past two months Cayes, Jeremie and Anse à Veaux, were due to road blockages and violence, M hardest hit, with around 13,000 houses including violence against humanitarian $8 destroyed and 13,000 damaged, leaving personnel, also pose a significant ALLOCATED BY CERF TO thousands exposed ahead of the potential concern. SUPPORT RESPONSE TO impact of Tropical Depression Grace. EARTHQUAKE The seventh named storm of the 2021 Following negotiations, an initial Atlantic hurricane season is forecast to convoy with Government and UN reach Haiti between 16-17 August. personnel has made its way to affected areas, with further convoys set to deliver While the quake is likely less various supplies. The Government, who catastrophic than the 2010 earthquake declared a one-month nationwide state that is regarded as the worst disaster in of emergency, and UN and international Haiti’s history after leaving more than partners are carrying out post-impact 300,000 people dead and 1.5 million damage and needs and assessments and injured, it comes in the aftermath of the activating rapid response mechanism. 7 July assassination of President Jovenel The UN Central Emergency Response Moïse and escalating criminal violence Fund (CERF) is allocating US$8 million that has displaced around 19,000 people to back response in health care, clean in the south. The convergence of these water, emergency shelter and sanitation. scenarios stands to worsen conditions for the 4.4 million people in need prior Nationally, Haiti’s National Emergency to the quake. Operations Centre (COUN) has been activated. Key stakeholders ranging The possible displacement of thousands from Civil Protection to humanitarian is setting the stage for a potential partners are coordinating response surge in COVID-19 infections, which actions. Regional coordination is taking had recently tapered off, that may place through the Regional Group overburden an already strained health on Risks, Emergencies and Disasters system that is scrambling to respond for Latin America and the Caribbean to the earthquake. Preliminary reports (REDLAC). UN Disaster Assessment indicate that local hospitals near the and Coordination (UNDAC) is Sources: • Government of Haiti epicentre are already overrun with deploying a team to support assessment, • OCHA Haiti wounded people, especially in Les Cayes coordination and search and rescue. • UN Central Emergency Response Fund and Jeremie. The numbers presented are for orientation and not conclusive. Sources are reports from national authorities from public websites. Creation date: 16 August 2021 Sources: ReliefWeb Feedback: [email protected] | www.unocha.org/rolac | www.reliefweb.int p. 1/2 LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN Weekly Situation Update (9-15 August 2021) As of 16 August 2021 KEY FIGURES REGIONAL: MIGRANTS & REFUGEES Panamanian migration officials report high-level meeting of Foreign Ministers K that more than 55,000 migrants, mostly from Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, 55 from Haiti, have crossed through the Chile, Ecuador, Mexico and Panama and MIGRANTS HAVE CROSSED INTO eastern Darien province on the border representatives from the Governments PANAMA FROM COLOMBIA SO with Colombia during 2021, with of Canada and the United States to FAR IN 2021 18,000 arriving in June alone. The analyse the growing crisis and pursue year-to-date total is already a third of coordinated response actions. Panama the cumulative number of migrants indicates that they will take in 650 since 2013. Authorities fear that the migrants a day until 1 September, when surge in migrants may soon overwhelm they will begin taking in 500 migrants a capacities, projecting that the current day. pace may lead to a fivefold growth. Colombian officials report that there are Sources: least 10,000 Haitian migrants currently • Government of Panama awaiting entry into Panama. The • Government of Colombia situation prompted Panama to host a KEY FIGURES LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN: COVID-19 Cases, deaths & vaccines administered (15 Aug) GUATEMALA people in Ecuador are fully immunized, Despite Guatemala doubling the while 37 per cent of the population Cases 42,367,227 +2.0% from 8 Aug number of people reached with at are awaiting a second dose. The Deaths 1,409,831 +1.3% from 8 Aug least one COVID-19 vaccine dose in Government further notes that they are Vaccines 428,350,124 +6.8% from 8 Aug under three weeks, cases are growing guaranteeing the availability of doses for at a rapid pace, with the July 2021 tally refugees and migrants in Ecuador. of more than 69,000 cases more than double the number of cases in July 2020. CARIBBEAN Please scan QR code Additionally, there are currently more The United States announced that to access OCHA/HDX than 40,000 active cases, well above the they will deliver nearly 837,000 doses COVID-19 Data Explorer previous peak of 26,000 in July 2020. of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to The Bahamas (397,000 doses), Trinidad and Authorities are also concerned over the Tobago (305,000), Barbados (70,200), suspension of emergency services in two St. Vincent and the Grenadines (31,500), of Guatemala City’s major health centres Antigua and Barbuda (17,550) and St. and increasingly strained capacities of Kitts and Nevis (11,700). the country’s largest COVID-19 hospital. The shipments, which follow a similar ECUADOR donation from China, come as PAHO Ecuador has already reached its urges those in the Caribbean to get ambitious target of vaccinating 9 million vaccinated amid reports of vaccine Sources: hesitancy and rejection, including from • COVID-19 Data Explorer - https://bit.ly/3vsHRP9 people with at least one COVID-19 healthcare workers. • Government of Guatemala vaccine dose before 1 September. The • Government of Ecuador 9.93 million people reached with at • Government of the United States least one dose is more than half of the national population. Nearly 1 in 5 The numbers presented are for orientation and not conclusive. Sources are reports from national authorities from public websites. Creation date: 16 August 2021 Sources: ReliefWeb Feedback: [email protected] | www.unocha.org/rolac | www.reliefweb.int p. 2/2.