Monday, June 2, the Haitian government and its humanitarian partners have announced the start of the hurricane season in Haiti and invited families to prepare to deal with emergency situations that may occur during the next six months.

"The rains of May have shown how the vulnerability of the country worsened, but also the need for families to engage themselves in preparedness efforts," said Réginald Delva, Minister Interior and Local Authorities.

Government authorities and the humanitarian community in Haiti initiated since February the preparation of national contingency plan, departmental and sectoral (50 communal plans), a series of simulation exercises (SIMEX) should lead to the large national SIMEX (30-31 July) in order to provide an effective and coordinated response in the event of major weather events. These joint preparations actions and others, aim to reduce risks and support the population in response to possible emergencies.

Alongside these efforts, the Government and international partners invite families to act jointly with the civil protection structures and set the tone by continuing the promotion campaign of family emergency plans, begun in 2013, under the theme "Yon fanmi, yon plan. An n kontinye prepare n pou n pwoteje lavi n".

Despite forecasts of very few active season [the National Oceanic and Atmospheric U.S. Agency (NOAA) provides a 50% chance of a below normal season, 40% near normal and 10% higher than normal], the Directorate of Civil Protection calls the entire population to prepare for the worst and work for the best, reminding that one major storm making landfall, may be sufficient to directly affect 500,000 people.

HL/ HaitiLibre