Reference :
V-P-HT-E-00264
Date :
07/01/2009
Caption :
Near Gonaives. Micheline, whose house was destroyed by a hurricane, lives under a tent with her six children.
Confidentiality level :
public
Publication restrictions :
reserved users only
Description :
Families first had to move after the town was hit by hurricanes Gustav, Hannah and Ike in summer 2008. 250 families initially found refuge in a field on the outskirts of the town. They lived under tents provided by the Haitian Red Cross. In the days before New Year, and without any clear explanation, the authorities closed down the camp and two others of the seven campsites in Gonaives.
"They came to my tent first and I pleaded with them to let me keep it as I have six children including a new born baby." said Micheline, visibly distraught as she tried to soothe her bawling son, who she'd not been able to feed that day.
Some of the families then moved one kilometer further away along a dirt track road. Micheline managed to salvage here tent which she now shares with 10 other people.
Many were not so lucky and are now huddled together under sheets and clothes tied to wooden poles in their new found resting place--a stony patch of land where there is no water, no latrine, and not much hope that their luck would change.
Original material :
digital
Resolution :
3744x5616
Orientation :
portrait
Colour/B&W :
colour
