The Israeli NGO IsraAid is sending an emergency response team to Haiti to assist in the wake of the devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck on Saturday and has left at least 1,300 people dead and nearly 6,000 injured. Meanwhile, Tropical Depression Grace is predicted to reach Haiti on Monday night, brining with it heavy rain, flooding and landslides.
IsraAID’s Emergency Response Team, which will include Haitian former staff members from the organization’s eight years of previous work in Haiti, as well as Israeli and international team members, will arrive in Haiti in the coming days, the organization said. The team will distribute urgently needed relief items and assess immediate needs on the ground, focusing on relief distributions, water, sanitation and hygiene, and psychological first aid and mental health support.
IsraAID worked in Haiti between 2010-2018 providing relief and long-term recovery to communities who were affected by the 2010 earthquake, which killed more than 220,000 people. IsraAID’s local team also responded to Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Saturday’s earthquake will be the third major disaster that the organization has responded to in the country.