Haiti Needs $120 Million To Fund Recovery Programs

(USA Today) – A $120 million U.N. appeal for Haiti is crucial to fund life-saving recovery programs in the impoverished nation reeling from the destruction of Hurricane Matthew, aid groups said Tuesday.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon this week announced the appeal aimed at aiding an estimated 1.4 million Haitians struggling to meet basic needs. He said the money would finance crucial aide for three months. Almost $70 million would be earmarked for water, sanitation and medical efforts.

“Some towns and villages have been almost wiped off the map,” he said. “Crops and food reserves have been destroyed…. A massive response is required.”

Matthew stormed through the tiny nation of 10 million people last week, killing hundreds and destroying infrastructure. The lack of clean drinking water has generated fears of a cholera outbreak in a country that has already seen 27,000 cholera cases this year. Haiti was still recovering from a 2010 earthquake that killed 200,000 — more than 55,000 people were still living in tents and makeshift homes — before Matthew roared through.

“With the U.N. now making an appeal for $119 million, we’re seeing how serious the world is taking the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew,” said Mike Weickert, the head of the Haitian relief response for the aid group World Vision. “At this point, inaction could cost lives.”

Save the Children also joined the U.N. in urging a quick response to the disaster wrought by Matthew.

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