Haiti Earthquake Damage Put At US$1.12 Billion

By NAN Staff Writer

News Americas, WASHINGTON, D.C., Weds. Aug. 25, 2021: The damage from Haiti’s Aug. 14, 2021, earthquake has been put at a whopping US$1.2 billion.

That’s according to an initial impact assessment report discussed Monday during a technical steering committee meeting chaired by the country’s Prime Minister, Ariel Henry.

The meeting was attended by senior government ministers as well as representatives of the Tripartite Partnership – the United Nations, the European Union and the World Bank.

World Bank Resident Representative in Haiti, Msellati Laurent, in his remarks confirmed, the readiness of his institution to align with the proposals that will be made by the partners of the United Nations and also the European Union and the IDB.

He said that following the first satellite impact assessment, the results showed that the damage caused by the earthquake would require the disbursement of US$1.12 billion.

The meeting formed part of the assessment of damage, losses and post-earthquake needs 2021, in the Southern Peninsula.

United Nations Deputy Resident Coordinator in Haiti, Maureen Bermingham, said she saw the exercise as an opportunity not only for the physical reconstruction of the country but also for social reconstruction

The technical steering committee has six weeks to finalize the preliminary version of the PDNA, produce the physical and economic reconstruction plan for the southern peninsula and organize the meeting of donors in order to have funds to finance the plan.

DEATH TOLL

The death toll from the quake is over 2,200 with some 300 plus missing. Two priests were killed, and 200 Catholic churches destroyed with 150 others damaged, according to Loudger Mazile, spokesperson for the Conference of Bishops of Haiti, in an interview with Magik9.

VENEZUELA AID

Haitian authorities, meanwhile, received a second shipment containing 30 tons of humanitarian aid from the government of Venezuela on Monday August 23, 2021. This second humanitarian aid includes drinking water, food and medicine, said Venezuelan Civil Protection director Eduardo Hurtado. A first shipment of 30 tonnes was shipped to Port-au-Prince on August 16, 2021.