Significant Drop in Numbers of Internally Displaced in Camps in Haiti
IOM has recorded an important fall in the number of people living
in camps since the 12 January 2010 earthquake.
Some 500,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) have now left
the camps from a peak of 1.5 million over the summer months to just
over one million in November. This is a reduction of nearly one
third of the IDP population. The decrease is even more
dramatic in semi-urban and rural areas and towns away from greater
Port-au-Prince, such as Leogane, Petit Goave, Gressier, Grand Goave
and Jacmel, where the population in camps has decreased by over 50
per cent and in the case of Leogane, by two thirds.
The population of Haiti's 1,199 spontaneous and organized
settlements is now heading below one million people as people seek
an alternative to living in a tent or shelter. The intensity
of the rainy season made it unbearable for many to remain in often
leaking tents. Fears of cholera due to poor sanitation and hygiene
also persuaded many people to seek alternative housing solutions
outside of the camps. Many are reported to have simply "gone
home".
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An estimated 100,000 displaced people have also been re-housed
in transitional shelters. Many others returned to their communities
to live in repairable houses (marked either green or yellow). There
have also been increased evictions, especially from schools and
places of business as well as churches. Some households left
congested Port-au-Prince all-together to go home to the regions.
Others sent their children to the countryside for a better
life.
"We finally start to see light at the end of the tunnel for the
earthquake-affected population," said Luca Dall'Oglio, IOM Haiti
chief of mission. "Coming amid political instability and the
roll-call of disasters – hurricane Tomas and then cholera
– these are hopeful signs that many victims of the quake are
getting on with their lives."
The evidence that people are departing from camps in
accelerating numbers comes from the Displacement Tracking Matrix
(DTM), a monitoring tool to collect up-to-date information on the
population displaced by the earthquake and living in camps across
Haiti. Monthly site assessments take place to ensure the most
accurate information possible in addition to gauging monthly
trends.
The DTM report concludes: "The IDP population living in IDP
sites has decreased significantly over the previous months from an
estimated 1,500,000 individuals in July, to 1,350,000 individuals
in September, to now an estimated 1,050,000 individuals in November
2010 representing a decrease of 31 per cent over a five-month
period."
Between the 25th October and 30th November, DTM field
assessments were conducted in 1,356 IDP sites, of which 1,199 were
confirmed as having IDP households living on site. An
estimated total of 242,522 households were living in IDP sites in
November 2010, which is down by 118,995 households (or 33 per cent)
since July 2010.
The return of people from camps to their original homes or to
other housing solutions has been one of the thorniest issues for
the humanitarian community. The lack of land tenure and the
destruction of many houses in already heavily congested slums left
many of those displaced with few options but to remain in
shelters.
The full report will be posted at:
"paragraph-link-no-underline" href="http://tinyurl.com/CCCM-Haiti"
target="_blank" title="">http://tinyurl.com/CCCM-Haiti.
For more information contact:
Leonard Doyle
IOM Haiti
Tel: + 509 3702 5066
E-mail:
"mailto:ldoyle@iom.int">ldoyle@iom.int
or
Vladko Avramovski
Tel: + 509 37027890
E-mail:
"mailto:vavramovski@iom.int">vavramovski@iom.int