- Haiti’s overcrowded hospitals were overwhelmed by the casualties of the 7.2 magnitude earthquake, which killed at least 1,419 people.
- Patients receive treatment in makeshift tents in crowded parking lots and on mattresses on the grass outside Les Case General Hospital.
- While rescue efforts were underway, a storm brought heavy rain to the southern coast and triggered flooding near the worst-hit areas.
Lesquets-On Monday, Haitian doctors fought in makeshift tents to save the lives of hundreds of injured people, including children and the elderly, who were overwhelmed by the earthquake outside the hospital, which killed at least 1,419 people.
Local residents said that although rescue teams worked hard to dig out the survivors of the magnitude 7.2 earthquake on Saturday, a storm poured heavy rain on the southern coast of Haiti, causing floods near the worst-hit areas and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.
Deus Deronneth, a politician from the Jacmel region, tweeted a video showing floods sweeping through local towns and confirmed the flood to Reuters.
The earthquake destroyed tens of thousands of buildings in this extremely impoverished country. The country is still recovering from a major earthquake 11 years ago. On July 7, the country’s President Jovenel Moise was assassinated.
Dozens of churches, hotels, residences and schools were severely damaged or destroyed in the earthquake. Haitian authorities said on Monday afternoon that 1,419 people had been confirmed dead, about 6,900 people were injured, and 37,312 houses were destroyed.
Data circulating among aid groups indicate that more than 450 people have died in the worst-hit sectors, and Haitian officials have warned that the death toll may rise.
The city of Les Cases and its surrounding areas, located about 150 kilometers west of Port-au-Prince, the Caribbean nation’s capital, suffered the most damage, putting tremendous pressure on local hospitals, some of which were severely damaged.
Baby “trapped under rubble”
The main streets of this coastal city with a population of 100,000 are lined with collapsed buildings. Residents said dozens of men dug in the rubble of a hotel and the owner of the hotel was killed in the earthquake.
The city’s general hospital is overcrowded. Doctors and nurses take care of patients in tents in crowded parking lots because there is no more space inside.
Dozens of people lay on beds and mattresses on the grass outside the hospital. Inside, the patient is lying on a stretcher on the floor or in a crib in a crowded room with relatives around him.
According to an eyewitness from Reuters, the baby was taken out of the neonatal intensive care unit of the hospital due to concerns that the building would be unsafe after the earthquake.
Pediatrician Dr. Lucette Gedeon has been volunteering in the temporary neonatal ward since Saturday. She said that the hospital ran out of antibiotics and anesthetics.
“Some babies need to be amputated after being trapped under rubble,” Gedeon said.
Outside, Marceline Charles said that when their house collapsed, her one-month-old baby was hit by a brick. The fragments also caused a deep wound on the head of her 7-year-old daughter.
“I don’t know if she will survive,” Charles said.
Gang controlled territory
Nearby, Michel Delva is standing next to her sister Claudie, holding the baby of the injured woman. Delva said that when the earthquake struck, Crowdy threw herself on her child to prevent him from falling over the bricks. She broke her leg and needed surgery, but they have been waiting outside since Saturday.
“She didn’t get the attention she needed, the doctors were too busy,” Delva said.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry said that there is no time to waste.
He wrote on Twitter: “From this Monday, we will speed up the pace. We will speed up the provision of assistance.” “We will increase our efforts tenfold to help as many victims as possible.”
On Monday, Port-au-Prince Airport was bustling with medical staff and rescuers scrambling to deliver supplies to the south.
In addition to the destruction of some roads in the area, months of political turmoil in Haiti have complicated the road to Les Cayes, which has allowed gangs to control the main access to parts of the country.
The United Nations has called for the establishment of “humanitarian corridors” so that aid can pass through gang-controlled territories.
It is unclear whether the presidential elections planned for November will draw a line under the political chaos following the assassination of Moise.
Hard to reach
An eyewitness from Reuters said that ambulances transported the seriously injured from nearby areas at Lesquez Airport. The wounded were carried on a stretcher to a small plane, and a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter was taken to Port-au-Prince, where hospital services are better.
Due to the interruption of the telephone network in some areas, rescuers are still calibrating the loss. Alix Percinthe of the ActionAid charity said that in hard-to-reach villages, many houses are fragile and built on slopes prone to landslides.
Rescuers were eager to respond to the outbreak of the tropical depression Grace, which moved to the west-northwest in the southern coastal area on Monday night, and it rained heavily.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) predicts that Grace will churn near the earthquake zone. By Tuesday, rainfall in some areas may reach as high as 38 cm.
According to the United Nations, some Haitians who have lost their homes have been sleeping outdoors. Many of them have traumatized the memories of the magnitude 7 earthquake that occurred closer to Port-au-Prince in 2010, resulting in more than 20 deaths.
Jerry Chandler, director of the Haitian Civil Defense Agency, said that due to the rising risk of water-borne diseases such as cholera, people on these streets will be exposed to rain.
“We do have a serious problem,” Chandler said on Sunday.
He said that ships and helicopters are used to transport aid, but the government is working hard to establish safe road access. The initial supplies have been delivered by land.
In Jeremie, northwest of Les Cayes, doctors were forced to treat injured patients on hospital stretchers under trees and on roadside mattresses.
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