Dutch military providing aid to those hit by the August 14 earthquake in Haiti. (Tim van Dijk photo)
~ Dutch military provide aid in Haiti ~
HAITI/PHILIPSBURG--The aftermath of the massive earthquake in Haiti is immense, says cameraman Tim van Dijk. The St. Maarten resident is on board the Dutch Navy vessel Zr. Ms. Holland which is off the coast of Haiti to provide food and water to those hit by the earthquake.
Some 30,000 families lost their homes. (Tim van Dijk photo)
Haiti was struck by an earthquake on August 14. The magnitude 7.2 quake killed more than 2,000 people. The official death toll from the earthquake stands at 2,189 people, with an estimated 332 people still missing. Some 12,000 people were injured, and some 30,000 families lost their homes.
Tens of thousands of homes are in ruins, leaving many families with no option but to sleep outside despite torrential downpours at night. The hurricane season runs until the end of November, and Prime Minister Ariel Henry has warned residents to brace for more storms, Reuters reported.
Reaching the worst-hit areas has been hindered by landslides and damage to a highway. Gang fighting has complicated travel between Port-au-Prince and southern parts of the country, where crops and access to drinking water have been destroyed. Some animals kept for food were also killed.
Officials and residents in small towns and rural areas continued to tally the dead and missing.
Van Dijk visited the disaster area last weekend. “For example, I saw a little girl with a broken leg sitting on a chair. Others are still waiting for medical help, but there is often none,” he told Dutch public broadcaster NOS. “The aftermath of this disaster is immense.”
Some 100 Dutch military are currently in Haiti to distribute food and water to victims of the natural disaster. Van Dijk joined the troops to make images of the disaster area and the relief efforts.
According to him, the contrast between aerial images and the situation on the ground is enormous. “On the ground you can see the true extent of the damage: houses that have collapsed, a church that has been razed to the ground. You see despair on many faces.”
Residents in the disaster area try to make the best of it and sleep in emergency tents, or in the open air. “People don’t want to go back to their houses,” Van Dijk said to NOS.
