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distribute emergency food assistance to 40,000

people in Cap Haitian and to 40,000 people in

Gonaives if needed.

Poverty, depletion of the environment and the

limited capacity of the authorities to respond to

crises mean Haitians are highly vulnerable and

even moderate shocks can push people into

hunger.

This year, Haitians are more vulnerable given the

country continues to recover from Category 4

Hurricane Matthew which hit Haiti in October

2016.

Cuba overview

The UN Country Team is liaising with Government

officials to discuss preparedness measures and the

need for any support.

WFP has a contingency food stock of 1,500 mt

prepositioned to cover the potential needs of up to

270,000 people for a month.

Following the devastating effects of Hurricane

Matthew which hit Eastern Cuba in October last

year, WFP has five Mobile Storage Units (MSUs) in

country that could be re-directed to support the

Irma response.

Cuba is exposed to sudden-onset shocks, such as

tropical storms, hurricanes, heavy rainfalls and

earthquakes.

Dominican Republic overview

The Government has arranged several emergency

preparedness meetings to coordinate a potential

response to Hurricane Irma.

Highlights According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Irma is an extremely dangerous category 5 hurricane

on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale with winds reaching 175 mph (280 km/h).

Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Irma is forecast to remain a

powerful category 4 or 5 hurricane during the next couple of days.

The impact that Hurricane Irma can have is still uncertain, but many islands in the Caribbean, including

Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba, are on stand-by and setting precautionary measures.

WFP currently has enough food stock prepositioned to feed more than 420,000 people for one month

(150,000 Haiti, 270,000 Cuba).

05 September 2017

Hurricane Irma Situation Report #1

35% General situation update

WFP is prepared to support countries in Hurricane

Irma’s path through food assistance, logistical and

telecommunications services as well as through

the deployment of staff and equipment.

Through an IR EMOP (Immediate response,

emergency operation) in Haiti, WFP is planning to

purchase high-energy biscuits which are vital in

the first days of an emergency. The biscuits are

fortified with vitamins and minerals, are easy to

distribute and a quick solution when there is little

access to cooking facilities.

WFP will continue to monitor the situation closely

while liaising with respective governments, UN

partners and other key stakeholders in preparation

for any response.

WFP will use its advance financing mechanisms as

required to ensure an appropriate response.

Haiti overview

Some areas in the Nord-Ouest and Nord

Departments of Haiti are forecast to receive more

than 150mm of rainfall with Irma’s passage. This

rainfall will fall over a short period of time, and will

most likely result in river flooding and landslides.

WFP has a contingency food stock of 3,300 mt

prepositioned to cover the potential needs of up to

150,000 people for a month in the event of an

emergency. With these food stocks in place, WFP

can reach the population quickly if needed.

WFP started to move a part of the contingency

stock from Port-au-Prince to its warehouses in Cap

Haitian and Gonaives on 5 September. With this

stock strategically positioned, WFP will be able to

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The Ministry of Presidency has assured that the

Government is prepared to face any situation that

may arise.

Eight provinces in the Northern Coast have been

declared on Red Alert by the Emergency

Operations Center. The President has instructed

the prepositioning of emergency supplies for an

immediate response.

If the Government does request WFP assistance, it

will most likely be through technical assistance

with deployment of programme and supply chain

staff to support the government response.

Preparedness Actions

WFP assists governments in the region to prepare

for emergencies with activities oriented towards

enhancing resilience to shocks and saving lives in

the most food-insecure and vulnerable

communities.

WFP has standby agreements signed with local

transporters and organizations to transport and

distribute food if needed.

WFP has teams on stand-by to be deployed

immediately for assessment missions and to

support with food assistance as required.

WFP has organised several simulation exercises on

the use of social protection safety nets as part of

shock response.

WFP is facilitating the exchange of information and

tools between Cuba and Haiti in order to

strengthen Haiti's emergency preparedness

capacities. Cuba is affected, on average, every

two years by a hurricane of great intensity, and

even so, the human loss index is the lowest in the

region. As part of the cooperation plan, four visits

of Cuban specialists responsible for hurricane

monitoring and response were organized in Haiti

since 2015.

In Haiti, WFP and the Logistics Cluster have been

working together to improve preparedness by

organizing frequent workshops, trainings and

coordination meetings with the Government and

main stakeholders over the last 6 months.

In the Dominican Republic, WFP has been

strengthening the national emergency

preparedness capacities through workshops to

update early warning protocols.

Contacts

Regional Bureau: Alan Brown, Regional

Partnerships Officer — Alan. Brown@wfp.org

www.wfp.org WFP Latin America Situation Report #1 05 September 2017