Clean water, sanitation and food remain relief priorities in Haiti – UN official

[struggle4progress]

4 October 2011 –
Access to safe drinking water, sanitation and food are the priority humanitarian needs in Haiti over the next year, the United Nations relief chief said today, stressing that the estimated 600,000 people still in camps after last year’s earthquake continue to depend on aid for survival.

“They are extremely vulnerable, facing food insecurity, the threat to cholera and of course natural disasters, such as the current hurricane season,” said Valerie Amos, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, briefing reporters at UN Headquarters in New York after her two-day visit to Haiti last week.

During her visit to one of the camps in a neighbourhood of the capital, Port-au-Prince, residents expressed frustration over having to continuing living in the camps because they cannot afford to rent houses or repair their own homes.

“The President, donors and the people of Haiti want to see a much greater focus on development and there is considerable frustration that the pace is slow. But I want everyone to remember that the humanitarian crisis in Haiti is not over.” ...

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39931&Cr=haiti&Cr1=