PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti (CMC)— Haiti has launched an “Emergency Alert” programme at the General Directorate of Civil Protection (DGPC) designed within the framework of the country’s National Development and Recovery Plan (PDNA).

The launch follows the 7.2 magnitude quake earthquake – followed by at least 600 aftershocks – on August 14 in the southern region which killed more than 2, 200 people.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who launched the “Emergency Alert” programme, said the government wants to emphasise the importance of making a good bridge between emergency and development, between the short term and the long term.

He said he believes that this mobilisation of resources is all the more crucial since it concerns all the strategic needs such as drinking water infrastructure and exposing the population not only to water scarcity, but also to the risks of infections including cholera and malaria.

He said also it would also hamper the fight against food and nutritional security affecting nearly 40 per cent of the Haitian population.

The Emergency Alert programme in the PDNA has been developed in partnership with the United Nations, the World Bank, the European Union and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

The authorities said the programme aims to provide vital multisectoral assistance to people affected by the earthquake. It also aims to support livelihoods and basic services in the areas affected by the earthquake.

In a message posted on his Twitter account, Prime Minister Henry reaffirmed his determination to support parents, teachers and students in the south region.

“The return to school is one of the main priorities of the government. Therefore, we are committed to clearing the sites of collapsed schools. We will also support the parents of students and teachers decapitalised, following the earthquake that devastated the southern peninsula,” he said.

The Barbados-based Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), which is coordinating the region’s response to the situation in Haiti, said in its latest bulletin that the Ministry of Education has commenced assessments of the schools to determine whether they are structurally fit for recommencement of classes.

“As schools are used as emergency shelters, DGPC has invested interest in knowing the structural status of schools as this would determine their shelter capacity as they enter into the peak 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season,” CDEMA noted.

CDEMA also reported that this week, 16 people had been rescued from a mountainous area where they had been trapped by a landslide.