Save the Children Prepared to Help Families in Haiti Bracing the Effects of Hurricane Matthew

FAIRFIELD, Conn., Oct. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hurricane Matthew, a Category 4 storm, slammed the southern coast of Haiti on Tuesday morning with winds of 145 mph, flooding and extensive damage.

Save the Children is deploying an emergency response team to work with staff and partners on the ground to help the children and families affected by the storm. The organization pre-positioned a stockpile of non-food items, including hygiene kits, baby items, household kits, mosquito nets and jerry cans, which will be used in coming days. Additional necessities will be supplied after the response team conducts an initial evaluation. 

"Our thoughts and hearts go out to the Haitian people, many of whom had yet to fully recover from the earthquake that devastated the country in 2010," said Carolyn Miles, President & CEO of Save the Children. "We have worked in Haiti for more than 30 years and will coordinate closely with the Haitian government to help those most affected by the disaster." 

Save the Children supports 131 schools in Haiti, including 27 in the area of south Grand'Anse and 39 in Port-au Prince. The organization also provides technical assistance in water, sanitation and hygiene and newborn health to the Ministry of Health.

"Children are often most vulnerable during disasters such as this," Miles said. "Our emergency response team will be carefully evaluating how we can best help children, including getting them back into school as soon as possible."

Part of Save the Children's emergency response will likely include setting up "child-friendly spaces" at evacuation centers, which will provide children with a safe place to be engaged in educational play with other children, while giving parents a much-needed opportunity to go out and assess the damage.

To support Save the Children's emergency response in Haiti, visit: savethechildren.org/Matthew.

Spokespeople are available for comment.
Contact: Erin Taylor ([email protected]); (267) 250-8829 to arrange an interview.

Save the Children gives children in the United States and around the world a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We invest in childhood — every day, in times of crisis and for our future. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Media Contacts: Erin Taylor ([email protected]); (267) 250-8829
Negin Janati ([email protected]); (203.212.0044)

SOURCE Save the Children

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