Aid slow reaching quake-affected areas in Haiti
(19 Aug 2021) Emergency aid has been trickling into Les Cayes, the area worst hit by the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck Haiti over the weekend. Pressure for a coordinated response has mounted and tensions grown as more bodies are pulled from the rubble and the injured continue to arrive from remote areas in search of medical care. People gathered Wednesday outside an airport in Les Cayes after an aid flight arrived and crews began loading boxes into waiting trucks. International aid workers on the ground said hospitals in the areas worst hit by Saturday's quake are mostly incapacitated and that there is a desperate need for medical equipment. But the government told at least one foreign organization that has been operating in the country for nearly three decades that it did not need assistance from hundreds of its medical volunteers. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ariel Henry said Wednesday that his administration will work to avoid “repeat history on the mismanagement and coordination of aid." His message was a reference to the chaos that followed the country's devastating 2010 earthquake, when the government was accused of not getting all of the money raised by donors to the people who needed it. In a message on his Twitter account, Henry said that he “personally” will ensure that the aid gets to the victims this time around. Large-scale aid has not yet reached many areas, and one dilemma for donors is that pouring huge amounts of staple foods purchased abroad could, in the long run, hurt local producers. Haiti's Civil Protection Agency put the number of deaths from the quake at 1,941 and said more than 10,000 people were injured. The magnitude 7.2 earthquake destroyed more than 7,000 homes and damaged more than 12,000, leaving about 30,000 families homeless, officials said. Schools, offices and churches also were demolished or badly damaged. The U.S. Geological Survey said a preliminary analysis of satellite imagery after the earthquake revealed hundreds of landslides. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
