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With many thousands of people in Haiti needing food assistance, WFP is appealing for US$53 million to pay for its operations to help the storm-battered population of the Caribbean island.

WFP’s call for funding is part of a larger, UN-wide appeal for funds launched on Wednesday to help Haiti recover from the recent series of storms.

The world’s largest humanitarian agency is asking for US$34 million to feed 800,000 people for six months and for US$17.5 million to cover the cost of logistics.

WFP has been sending food and humanitarian supplies to the devastated port city of Gonaives and other storm-battered areas of Haiti for two weeks. Between 26 August and 9 September WFP distributed 371 metric tons of food to assist 60,884 people. In Gonaives alone WFP has fed 20,645 people.

Four storms in a month

Gonaives is devastated. The impact of four subsequent hurricanes/tropical storms – Fay, Gustav, Hanna, Ike – in less than a month is estimated to be worse than that of hurricane Jeanne in 2004.

About 60% of the town is still under water. The WFP team is working in mud and water and the environment for distributions is extremely challenging.

WFP, which is coordinating logistics for the humanitarian community, desperately needs boats and helicopters. The entire road system in Haiti has been affected by the storms, making logistics complicated. Seven key bridges have collapsed and for the moment only sea and air transport are possible. There are also fuel shortages throughout the country.

Harvests lost

The cumulative impacts of Gustav and Hanna, which followed Tropical Storm Fay by just two weeks, have been enormous. The storms hit while vulnerable populations’ exposure to food insecurity was particularly high, given food and fuel price hikes.

In addition, harvests have been lost, causing a major setback to WFP’s programme to help strengthen food-support safety nets. Information is still coming in on crop damages in the department of Artibonite, which is the agricultural heart of the country.

Building up local agricultural production was a significant part of a government strategy which WFP was supporting.

WFP has also stepped in to help people affected by Hurricane Gustav elsewhere in the Caribbean. Some 45 MT of High-Energy biscuits (HEBs) were sent via airlift to Cuba over the weekend. Read story