• Crisis Severity ?
    2.9
    0 Very low
    Very high 5
  • Impact ?
    2.6
    0 Very low
    Very high 5
  • Humanitarian Conditions ?
    3.0
    0 Very low
    Very high 5
  • Complexity ?
    3.1
    0 Very low
    Very high 5
  • Access Constraints ?
    3.0
    No constraints
    Extreme constraints

Overview

19/08/2021

A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck southwestern Haiti on 14 August at 8:30 am local time. The earthquake occurred 13km southeast of Petit-Trou-de-Nippes, in the department of Nippes, about 125km west of the capital Port-au-Prince. It occurred at a depth of 10km and was followed by a number of aftershocks – the strongest was 5.2 magnitude.?

At least 60,000 people were affected, around 1,300 have died, and over 5,000 were injured as at 16 August. The death toll is expected to rise as the search for victims trapped under rubble continues. The Government has declared a state of emergency for a month in the most affected departments.?

The most affected areas are in the departments of Sud, Nippes, and Grandv’Anse. Jérémie (Grand’Anse department) and Les Cayes (Sud department) arrondissements recorded the most infrastructure damage.?

Around 7,370 houses were destroyed and 4,850 damaged in Sud, Nippes, and Grand’Anse departments, leaving thousands of people homeless.? Severe damage to public buildings, including hospitals and schools, was reported. Hospitals that are still functional are overwhelmed and likely to lack medicine and equipment to treat all wounded patients.?

While very little information on needs is available, health (including immediate medical care), WASH, shelter, logistics, food, and mental health support are likely to be key priorities.

Latest Developments

14/09/2022

No significant recent humanitarian developments. This crisis is being monitored by our analysis team.

Humanitarian Access

19/08/2021

Haiti has high humanitarian constraints. Access has been deteriorating because of the escalating insecurity since the beginning of 2021, both for people in need and for humanitarian organisations. The southern peninsula, including areas affected by the earthquake, is a hotspot for gang-related violence and had been very difficult to reach already two months prior to the earthquake because of increasing violence and insecurity.?

Damage to telecommunication networks delays the transmission of information for humanitarian organisations.

Roads were damaged, adding a constraint to humanitarian access.? Route 7, the highway that connects Jérémie with Les Cayes, were blocked by a landslide triggered by the earthquake.?