DRLA Haiti Response Statement

One week after the tragic earthquake in Haiti, we are now moving into the recovery phase and humanitarian aid is slowly reaching the most vulnerable.  In large scale disaster operations like the current relief efforts in Haiti, there are three tiers of response with the first being efforts carried out by the national and local authorities of the impacted country followed by support provided by in-country international and non-governmental organizations, and lastly, if these efforts are not sufficient to deal with the enormity of the disaster, we look outside the impacted country for assistance by the international community (governments, international and non-governmental actors).

 

In this case, Haiti’s national and local authorities, as well as the in-country international and non-governmental organizations were themselves victims of the earthquake.  The response by the international community to date has been massive.  Within days of the earthquake, international search and rescue teams arrived in Haiti to carry out search and rescue operations, international disaster teams like USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance DART were on the ground to assess the damage and coordinate their respective government’s response, and international organizations like the United Nations, International Federation of the Red Cross, as well as non-governmental organizations deployed their disaster response teams to carry out life saving assistance.  The U.S. government has taken over operation of the airport and department of defense assets (personnel, helicopters, vessels, etc.) have been deployed and the foundation of the logistic infrastructure has been established with capacity increasing each day.

 

However, there are concerns that the relief operation is not moving quickly enough and assistance to the most vulnerable is not sufficient to prevent a potential second wave of death due to the spread of infectious diseases, inadequate access to clean water and poor sanitation.  That said, as I have witnessed globally, this humanitarian response will become fully operational soon and life saving assistance will flow to reach the most vulnerable.  Like last year’s relief operation in Haiti in response to the devastating hurricanes, the UN and non-governmental organizations will soon be able to establish an in-country distribution network capable of meeting the needs of the most vulnerable.  Helicopters provided by the U.S. department of defense (SOUTHCOM) will continue to move essential commodities until such time as roads are cleared and the UN led logistical cluster lead (World Food Programme) is able to assume full operation.  All this is to state that the international community has great capacity and experience dealing with emergency disaster response.  It may not be as timely as some would hope, but faced with the enormous challenges of logistics, security, and coordination, it is nonetheless effective.  The reality also, is that vulnerable communities such as Haiti and New Orleans, have few resources with which to respond and cope themselves. Unfortunately, as systematically and robust as we approach disaster response, our efforts to provide early recovery and transitional assistance that increases the resilience of these vulnerable communities lacks the same approach.  We may help victims survive a disaster, but do we support them to thrive and rebuild their lives?

 

As Tulane and the people of New Orleans have experienced following Hurricane Katrina, recovery after a natural disaster is a lengthy process that requires planning, preparation, and resources. The emergent needs of today like medical care, food, water and shelter are prominent in the world’s consciousness and many global resources are being brought to bear in order to provide relief to those impacted by this disaster. It is vital however to remember that once this emergent phase is over, the country and people of Haiti will still require assistance in order to rebuild their lives and in a way that reduces the likelihood of a similar catastrophe.  Nearly five years after Katrina, recovery is still an active process in New Orleans and we can only expect that the people of Haiti will face some of the same challenges those here in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast faced in trying to rebuild their communities and their lives.  It is our experience with Katrina and other catastrophic events that tells us the earlier leaders think about transition to recovery and long-term redevelopment, the more effective we can be in identifying the appropriate assistance and providing it in such a way that builds Haiti back better and leaves the people of Haiti more resilient to future challenges. Based upon our experience with Hurricane Katrina, we understand clearly the need to support local organizations, leaders and households as early as possible to promote a robust and sustainable recovery.

 

Tulane University’s Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy (DRLA) is committed to this long term effort and as an initial action, we have compiled the following studies and best practices addressing early recovery and transitional programming in order to enhance and foster this important dialogue. We also are also setting up an internet collaboration tool to help coordinate recovery efforts and exchange information about this complex but important process of recovery, and are in the process of organizing a leadership symposium to focus the best thinking on how to help. Through our DRLA Knowledge Center, we will update regularly on our efforts in support of this initiative.   Towards a resilient recovery, we encourage the international community to turn its attention and resources now to supporting local organizations, for it is through these organizations, as we all know in New Orleans, that resilient recovery will be realized.  

 

 

 

Ky Luu, J.D.

 

Executive Director

 

Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy