Office of the Resident Coordinator of the Dominican Republic • Haiti Earthquake SITREP del 23 and 24 Jan Next Situation Report to be issued tomorrow, 25thJanuary 2010. (late evening) I. KEY ISSUES • Situation in Jimani remains stable. National efforts to strengthen operations in the border and ensure adequate functioning of the humanitarian corridor continue. Inter-cluster coordination meetings daily scheduled (9:00 am at the offices of the UN in La Fortaleza facilities). • WFP has on the behalf of the Logistics Cluster negotiated exemption from taxes at the airport on all incoming humanitarian goods for the next 6 months. Further details will be disseminated in the following days. • Barahona hub, both port and airport, is operating according to latest reports (COE-UNDAC) • First inter-cluster coordination meeting, with representatives from SEEPyD and COE, Civil Society and UN was held in Santo Domingo (23 Jan.) • A traffic bypass is required at the border gates in Jimani to speed humanitarian aid flows, reduce congestion and facilitate migration control. II. GENERAL OUTLOOK Dominican Republic remains as crucial hub for operations in Haiti. UN Resident Coordinator and SEEPyD (Governement of Dominican Republic) chaired the first inter-cluster coordination meeting (23 Jan.) with participation of representatives from COE (Centro de Operaciones de Emergencias), Civil Society (Plataforma de Apoyo a Haiti), UN agencies and donors. In Jimani, the situation is stable. COE and Dominican Army, together with UN and other humanitarian actors are taking measures and improving coordination (daily meetings also with Dominican Army representatives) to ensure swift transit of humanitarian staff and relief goods to Haiti as well as management and support to patients treated in national hospitals. Barahona port and airport are fully operational and actively contributing to enhance the humanitarian corridor. “Mirror” clusters with participation of national authorities, NGOs, donors, UN agencies and other humanitarian partners are working as planned in close collaboration with clusters in Haiti. UNHCR staff arrived in Dominican Republic to back up work in protection, shelter and logistics clusters in Dominican Republic. III. NEEDS FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE Emergency Shelter Situation · Camps for IDPs are not being established in Dominican Republic. IOM is supporting voluntary return of affected population to Haiti. 1 · Three cluster meetings held so far with participation from national authorities Needs · Shelters required for relatives/care-givers of patient being referred from Jimaní to Fond Parisien. · Lack of in-country experience in camp management · IOM to define agreement to provide migratory counseling in Dominican Republic Response · American Refugee Committee (ARC) indicates that it is in the process of establishing shelter with capacity for 500 persons estimated to reach 2000. · Environmental Health Department has begun evaluations of non official shelters managed by SESPAS. · The first batch of the 33,200 UNFPA dignity kits has arrived in Haiti while another will be delivered to Jimani today. Gaps in response · Food, water, and electric generators needed to get the ARC shelter running. · Not enough non food items being provided to Haitians spontaneously returning to Haiti and trying to relocate. Food and Nutrition Situation · Nutrition assessment is being prepared. Needs · 3 more nutritionists are needed in order to provide assistance to hospitals, clinics and other areas providing care in Jimaní. · Rapid assessment of nutritional status, food security and needs is needed Jimaní and border areas. Response · Individual nutrition assessments will begin in the hospitals and nutrition centers in Jimaní · World Vision with support of WFP has assigned a group of “promotoras” to support the health centers and community in nutrition activities. “Promotoras” and nurses will be trained in Plumpy Nut distribution, tracking and monitoring. · Nutrition team in Jimaní will also be supported by the coordinator for the Provincial Office/SESPAS Maternal and Infant Program. · 446 boxes of Plumpy Nut were transferred to the UNDP warehouse to be available to be distributed in hospitals along the Haiti-DR border. · Remaining 92 boxes are being stored in the Nutrition Center warehouse to meet the weekly needs of Jimaní medical centers. · WFP received 24.000 servings of food to deliver to hospitals in Jimaní. Will also receive Plumpy Nuts and Meals Ready to Eat. Health Situation · Health cluster has set up four (4) thematic working groups: 1. Logistics (health) in coordination with Logistic cluster. i. Coordinator: Ruth Maddison and Teresa Narvaez ii. Next meeting: 26 Jan. 2 pm in PAHO/WHO 2. Patients management: 600 patients being treated in Jimani, 1,200 hospitalized. Number of patient plus care givers/relatives is 6,000 (estimated). i. Coordinator: Dr. Alejandro Baez ii. Next meeting: tbc 2 3. Health services management (volunteers, cleaning, protection, hospital security). Intensive care beds in Dominican Republic are fully occupied. Puerto Rico and Cuba are alternative sites for treatment. Patients treated in Dominican hospitals are being transferred to Fond Parisien for recovery 4. Haitian patients in DR Information management: i. Need: lack of information about Haitian displaced people ii. Coordinator: Maria del Carmen Wiese (World Vision) Next meeting: to be confirmed · Dominican Republic has made available most of its local resources for operations in Haiti and DR hospitals, which need to be replaced (Flash Appeal Review should include resources for DR). Response · The Ministry of Health (SESPAS) is providing training to psychologists, assistance staff and volunteers in psycho-social support in emergency situations. · Dominican Rehab Association presented a proposal for the rehabilitation of Haitian victims at the border. · Spanish company has offered a1000 m2 field hospital to be deployed in Jimani · RH health kits to serve the needs of 150,000 women have been delivered by UNFPA, while the additional orders that have been placed will serve the needs of 15 million women, part of which are already in Jimani and will be delivered tomorrow. Gaps in response · Ministry of Health Department of emergency and PAHO/WHO staff, have not been rotated since arrival in Jimaní. · Intensive care in Dominican Republic has reached bed capacity limit, according to the health services working group (DR health cluster). · Structure of Fond Parisien recovery center has been affected by earthquake aftershocks. Engineers are examining the structure. Patient referrals stopped, pending technical evaluations and conclusions. · 165 patients in Fond Parisien are lacking of appropriate conditions, accommodated on the floor and on the grass. · Neyba hospital has structural damages due to earthquake aftershocks. SESPAS and PAHO/WHO are coordinating to evacuate the medical centre. · Mortality evaluation is not being conducted. Logistics Situation · WFP has on the behalf of the DR Logistics Cluster negotiated exemption from taxes at the airport on all incoming humanitarian goods for the next 6 months. Further details will be disseminated in the following days. · Barahona hub, both port and airport, is operating according to latest reports (COE-UNDAC) · The road from Santo Domingo to Jimani is open and no problems have been experienced. · Las Americas airport in Santo Domingo has heavy traffic but without serious congestion for the time being · Convoys from DR are reaching PaP without incidents. MINUSTAH scorting from the border · Transit in the border, although congested at times, seems to flow. · The next Logistics Cluster meeting in Santo Domingo will be held on Wednesday, 27 Jan 2010 at 2:00 pm at the United Nations house in Santo Domingo. Response · The capacity of the UNHAS passenger service between Port-au-Prince and Santo Domingo has increased. Depending on demand, 2 aircrafts are now available to provide transport up to a maximum of 86 passengers each day. 3 · UNHAS’ cargo carrying capacity has also increased. Based on demand two aircrafts, one Caribou aircraft capable of carrying 2.7 mt and one Antonov 12 capable of carrying 16 mt, are available. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Situation · According to UNICEF, situation remains stable also in Jimani and other border areas · As Haitian WASH cluster will have to focus its resources in PaP, it’s expected that “mirror” cluster in DR will have to provide to support to areas close to the border (in Haiti) · Rapid Assessments already conducted Response · WASH relief items are currently being procured via UNICEF to support activities at health centres in Jimaní including the following: o 25 portable toilets units complete with hand washing units o 25 large bins for waste disposal o 20 Rotoplas water tanks (250 gallon capacity) · PAHO/WHO is mobilizing additional WASH experts Needs · Improve water storage systems · Lack of latrines: particularly for patients in hospitals, caregivers and handicaps · Adequate waste management. · Quality and water distribution system · Shower for personal hygiene · Lack of WASH information in border areas · Verify information in Jimani · Institutional and humanitarian actors mapping · Consideration for a possible support to Croix de Bouquets from DR Protection Situation · Over 30 organizations participating in the DR Cluster · Report of possible abduction of children. Surveillance in hospitals has been reinforced with support from CONANI and DR Red Cross · DR Health cluster has set up four