As Tropical Storm Tomas powers ashore in Haiti, IOM is focusing its
attention on protecting the vulnerable from its impact while
working to ensure that cholera does not spread further into the
community.

The full force of the storm is set to strike the far Western
city of Jérémie while missing the capital
Port-au-Prince. But the prospect of high winds and constant
rainfall over the capital raised immediate safety concerns for 1.3
million internally displaced people (IDPs) camped out in shelters
whose situation also makes them vulnerable to the cholera epidemic
that has hit the country. Torrential rains which preceded the
landfall of Tropical Storm Tomas also pose a particular threat of
landslides.

On Thursday, IOM evacuated more than 2,000 people from the
exposed Corail camp to a nearby disused hospital with young
children, women, the elderly, the infirm and several handicapped
people being given priority in the move. The displaced were offered
ready-to-eat sealed meals and aqua tabs to purify water in a bid to
help prevent the further spread of cholera. A further 4,000 IDPs
stayed back at Camp Corail to protect their few possessions.

Thursday's voluntary evacuation took place following an urgent
request from the Haitian government to help move vulnerable people
to safety. IOM worked closely with the American Refugee Committee
(ARC) which manages Corail, MINUSTAH peacekeepers and the Haitian
National Police in the evacuation of the IDPs.

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Meanwhile, efforts are underway to try and ensure that the early
gains made in containing the cholera outbreak in Artibonite region,
where many of Haiti’s displaced had taken refuge as a result
of the 12 January earthquake, are not reversed by Tomas.

Cholera is mainly being spread through water and bad sanitary
conditions in many parts of the country combined with a large
volume of rain or floodwater. Muddy waters can accelerate the
infection rate. IOM, the UN and other humanitarian partners are
rapidly scaling up operations to ensure an appropriate response
given the other ongoing emergencies. IOM’s response,
especially among the displaced people and those still in camps,
includes the dissemination of hygiene promotion communications,
strengthened monitoring and case response mechanisms, the provision
of supplies and equipment, and the procurement and distribution of
non-food items (NFIs).

To support continued efforts, IOM is launching an appeal this
week for USD 15 million to provide immediate support for the
Haitian government’s National Cholera Response Plan. The call
is part of a broader appeal for ongoing camp coordination and camp
management funding and supports activities for the prevention and
containment of cholera in vulnerable communities, including IDP
camps.

Given Haiti’s mobile population, containment is essential
to the cholera response. As a result, IOM has also deployed teams
to four strategic border areas with the Dominican Republic to
monitor movements and carry out cholera sensitization and awareness
campaigns.

The Haitian Ministry of Health (MSPP) has reported 442 deaths
and 6,742 hospitalized cases of cholera up until 3 November. Five
departments have been directly affected by the epidemic:
Artibonite, Centre, Nord, Northwest and West. A large increase in
deaths and hospitalizations over the weekend has been partly
attributed to the natural development of a cholera epidemic.
Haiti’s President Préval has declared the outbreak a
matter of national security.

For more information, please contact:

Leonard Doyle

Media and Communication, IOM Haiti

Tel: +509 3702 5066

E-mail: "mailto:ldoyle@iom.int">ldoyle@iom.int

or

Dr. Patrick Duigan

Tel: +509 3849 9115

E-mail: "mailto:pduigan@iom.int">pduigan@iom.int