Aid arrives in inundated Gonaïves

As you approach the outskirts of Gonaïves, a town surrounded by a deforested mountain range, you suddenly enter a massive lake. Large spindly cacti and other desert vegetation peep out from the metre-high body of water, which was not here before Tropical Storm Jeanne struck on 18 September.

The northern Haitian city and its environs have been devastated by the flooding with most of its 200,000 residents affected. Virtually everyone here desperately needs water, food and shelter.

With the rainy season in full force, some families are lucky enough to have a simple piece of plastic sheeting propped up by twigs to provide a makeshift shelter on the rooftops of their homes.

More than 1,600 people are believed to have died as a result of Jeanne, and hundreds more are missing.

Last February, Gonaives was at the centre of the political violence that affected Haiti . Much of its infrastructure was affected at that time, including the Hôpital de Providence , its main general hospital.

In March, a team from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) with the support of the Norwegian Red Cross was able to rehabilitate the hospital so it could function once again.

Now every room of the Hôpital de Providence has been flooded by at least two metres of water. It is also a testament to the horrors inflicted by the disaster, with piles of corpses in body bags lying in the courtyard.

In sweltering heat, two ICRC relief workers, Erich Baumann and Daniel Rubens stand caked in mud in the courtyard. During the last couple of days they have managed to bring more than 150 corpses here so they can be retrieved by grieving relatives or buried in a mass grave.

"We are finished with this tough job that really needed to be done to provide dignity to those who have died," says Baumann as he grimaced and wiped beads of sweat from his forehead.

From the outset Haitian Red Cross volunteers have been assisting with rescue, first aid, informing people of places they can seek shelter, helping them get there and transporting the injured to available medical facilities.

Amidst the putrid smell that lingers in the courtyard Yves-Jacques Toussin, 47, sits on a cement bench staring blankly ahead. "We had several metres of water come rushing into our home," he says. "Many of my relatives and friends have perished. We are now so very hungry and tired."

Henri Obenson, 24, tries to sweep the water out of the main floor of his house. "I am using this simple shovel to get as much water as possible out, but it is not going well," he says.

His mother frantically interrupts in Creole, "We lost everything including our livelihoods when three metres of water gushed into our home. We really do not know where to turn to for help."

The dirty water still flooding the streets is of much concern and especially the lack of clean drinking water for most of the population. Following a preliminary assessment the International Federation despatched an Emergency Response Unit (ERU) specialised in water and sanitation, which has now arrived in Gonaïves.

Managed jointly by the French and Spanish Red Cross Societies, the team will set up a water treatment plant that will soon be able to provide water for up to 50,000 thirsty residents.

In recent days the International Federation and the national Red Cross Societies of Canada, France, Spain and Switzerland have sent in a total of seven cargo flights laden with desperately needed relief items, such as plastic sheeting, blankets, food, hygiene articles, kitchen sets and cooking stoves.

Given the amount of relief arriving in Haiti , the Federation decided to also send a logistics ERU, also managed jointly by the Spanish and French Red Cross, to facilitate the reception, storage and distribution of relief items.

The Federation has deployed a field assessment team by helicopter to conduct an aerial survey to evaluate the damage inflicted by the storm and floods outside Gonaïves.

"The purpose of the assessment is to quickly evaluate the needs outside Gonaïves, to be followed by immediate action," explains the leader of the assessment team, Roger Bracke.

"We are concerned that some of the towns and villages outside Gonaïves have been equally affected but have received little or no assistance. Based on our survey, these areas may be where a considerable portion of our relief items will be distributed. We will continue to provide supplementary distributions in Gonaïves through the Haitian Red Cross," he adds.

Just outside Gonaïves, sad looking families cross the river to flee the town. They poignantly hold hands as they slowly wade through the thigh-high water in the lake. Most have little or no belongings.

On the horizon, there is a small glimmer of hope. A Haitian Red Cross convoy of six trucks carrying tonnes of rice, beans, cooking oil and candy comes into view, driving through the floodwater towards Gonaives

Two of the trucks get stuck in the water and cannot proceed. There will be many such challenges ahead for humanitarian workers in one of the poorest cities in the poorest country in the western hemisphere.