Monday, the de facto President, Jocelerme Privert, presided in the day a Council of Ministers Special, for an assessment of the situation due to the passage of the Matthew Category 4 hurricane, one of the most dangerous of the past decade and in order to properly coordinate government action.

The Prime Minister, Enex Jean-Charles, the government members, of directors involved in emergency operations activities including : Michel-Ange Gédéon of the National Police of Haiti (PNH), Jude Saint-Natus (Ministry of Interior), Ronald Semelfort (National Meteorological Center), Alta Jean-Baptiste (Civil protection) and Responsible of the National Emergency Operations Centre (COUN) each have exposed the contingency plans in place to minimize the risk of loss of life and injuries of all kinds due to the passage of Matthew.

François Anick Joseph, the Minister of Interior and Territorial Communities, made an inventory of the situation in terms of identification of areas at high risk of flooding and landslide of land and measures already taken by the authorities to better deal with the threat.

"Evacuation operations have already taken place and are ongoing in all high-risk areas, particularly in the South peninsula. Evacuations to temporary shelters also take place in the capital in particular, in Village de Dieu, Cité de l'Eternel, with an accompaniment of Dignity bus company. In the provinces, especially in the southern departments of Grand Anse and Nippes, where since Sunday evening 1,300 transitional shelters have been identified, including 247 open and 52 already occupied on Sunday.

The authorities are mobilized, and this also through Delegations and City councils, where operations continued throughout the day on Monday, 4 October, with among others the boat movement, from the Wharf of Port-au-Prince to that of Petit-Goâve; of Wharf of Cap Haitien dock to that of Baie de l'Acul. In addition, movements of prisoners in Miragoâne, Aquin, in Les Cayes and Jérémie, were carried out to safer places of detention."

The Council of Ministers has also enabled the authorities to react on the assistance system to provide the population before, during and after the passage of Matthew.

Jocelerme Privert, insisted on fast, effective and well coordinated measures, in order to give an answer to the expectations of the Haitian people in imminent danger.

The Head of State also took advantage of the council to remember that the date of 9 October, set for the organization of elections, was until now, always maintained.

HL/ HaitiLibre