Deadly Inferno in Camp Prompts Reinforced Fire Risk Reduction Strategy for Displaced in Haiti
After fire destroyed four tents and took the life of an infant
child in a Port-au-Prince camp for displaced people this week, IOM
has stepped up its programme of fire risk reduction.
High winds often race through camps which are tightly packed
with people living in tents and under plastic shelters. Many use
oil lamps with naked flames for illumination and this poses a
particular danger of deadly fires engulfing camps. Some1.5 million
displaced people are still without a home in Haiti and fire remains
an ever present risk for them.
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"_blank" title="">Fire at IDP Camp
Merisia Pierre, 36, is a single mother of three, and among the
displaced families that sought refuge in Terrain Acra, a piece of
land formerly used for motocross sporting activities in Delmas
Commune in Haiti. The devastating effects of the earthquake left
many internally displaced persons (IDPs) with few livelihood
opportunities, and selling vegetables is the only way that the
female-headed household of Merisia Pierre manages to survive.
On the evening of Wednesday, August 11, 2010, Pierre tucked in
her 7-month-old baby, Shelovson Pierre, and left her tent in order
to attend to her small business of selling vegetables at the market
near the IDP camp. On the table inside her tent was a tin lamp with
a naked flame. Many of the IDPs in Terrain Acra use tin lamps for
lighting, and nothing unusual raised concern to Pierre as she left
the infant in the care of his older siblings.
At around 10.45 pm, Merisia Pierre was alerted to the shouts of
"Fire, fire!" that were coming from the camp. As she ran towards
the camp, she could see that the flames were coming from the area
where her tent was located. Indeed it was her tent that was on
fire. Four other tents later caught fire too. Two of Pierre's
children were rescued by the neighbors, who also used all available
tools to contain the fire. Sadly, 7-month-old Shelovson Pierre was
not rescued and perished in the fire.
IOM field assistant, Eddy Noelsaint who lives nearby, was called
to the scene and arrived a few minutes after the fire started. He
managed to do a quick assessment and alerted the relevant
authorities including the National Police of Haiti and the CCCM
Coordinator. The following morning IOM mobilized new tents and
accompanying family kits (tarpaulins and hygiene kits) for the
affected families.
There was a somber mood when the team arrived on the site early
the next day. People gathered in small groups and many recounted
the events of the night before. Some consoled Merisia Pierre. The
Camp Management Operations team acquired five tents and family kits
(tarpaulins and hygiene kits) from the NFI unit to immediately
assist the affected families. The Communications Unit sent two
community mobilizers to the camp, who held a brief awareness
session with the assembled residents on fire prevention in IDP camp
establishments. The camp management committee and the residents
assisted in clearing the debris and pitching the new tents.
Coordinated efforts ensured that the affected families were settled
in new tents by 2.00 pm. UNICEF later delivered beds, mattresses
and other kitchen utensils to the affected families.
This incident has prompted IOM to increase its programmes aimed
at fire risk reduction in camps, including distributing buckets
that can be used by IDPs to fight fires. Frans Van Haaren, the
acting coordinator of camp management operations in IOM Haiti, said
that the move to provide buckets has a double advantage for the
IDPs. "Buckets can be useful in different ways in camps including
fetching water and storing water… But when a fire breaks
out, the same buckets can be used by the IDPs to put out the
fire…Distributing buckets to 200 families in an IDP camp is
equivalent to prepositioning 200 simple fire-fighting tools to a
camp." The initiative will be integrated with an intensive public
awareness campaign on the risk of fire in IDP camps, and simple
strategies for preventing fire.
A photo slideshow regarding the fire damage and IOM's fire
prevention activities can be seen at:
"paragraph-link-no-underline" href="http://tinyurl.com/Haitifire"
target="_blank" title="">http://tinyurl.com/Haitifire.
For more information please contact:
Davies Okoko
Camp Managent Officer
Tel. +509 388 64697
E-mail:
"mailto:dokoko@iom.int">dokoko@iom.int
Leonard Doyle
Media and Communications
IOM Haiti
Tel. +509 370 25066
E-mail:
"mailto:ldoyle@iom.int">ldoyle@iom.int