Haiti: Hurricane Response News Update  November 18, 2008 — WESTPORT, Conn. — With tens of thousands of homes in Haiti destroyed by floodwaters and many Haitian children spending their days in emergency shelters, Save the Children is working to reach families with critical supplies and to provide displaced children with safe spaces to play and learn. Meanwhile, a school collapse near Port-au-Prince on Nov. 7 has killed 92 and injured more than 150. Read the latest press release. Save the Children is assisting children in areas throughout Haiti where four recent tropical storms have caused more than 800 deaths and affected over 850,000 people. An estimated 100,000 storm victims are still housed in temporary shelters, including about 60,000 in and around Gonaives. Widespread flooding has displaced families across a broad swath of the country, including in the cities of Jacmel, Gonaïves and Hinche, where Save the Children provides programs. Many of the temporary shelters are in schools, which caused the government to delay the opening of the school year until October. Adequate temporary shelters will need to be identified and set up for those storm victims evacuated from school sites with nowhere to go. In addition, resources need to be allocated to rehabilitate and reconstruct schools.  A Haitian child walks in mud in the town of Gonaives. Sept. 20, 2008. REUTERS/ Eduardo Munoz. Courtesy alertnet.org   The recent rash of storms and hurricanes also has compounded the already dire national food security crisis in Haiti. More than 4 million people are estimated to be at risk of hunger and malnutrition. They are also susceptible to water-borne diseases because of the lack of clean water. Our Response Save the Children is providing thousands of children and their families with food, water, mattresses, blankets, medicines, hygiene, household and infant kits. The agency coordinated delivery on Oct. 6 of more than 30,000 pounds of medicines and medical and surgical materials — including antibiotics, antiseptics, pain medicines, multivitamins, gauze, sutures and oral-rehydration salts to treat dehydration from diarrhea. The shipment, valued at nearly $3 million, was donated and delivered to Port-au-Prince, Haiti by AmeriCares. It will help meet the emergency medical needs of tens of thousands of displaced people. Working with UNICEF in some locations, Save the Children has established eleven child-friendly areas and activities for thousands of children in Gonaives and Jacmel. More than 200 social workers have been trained. Five additional child-friendly areas are planned for Jacmel. These sites provide emotional-support programs and nutritious snacks, and ultimately help ensure children return to school.The project is expected to reach 6,500 children. Read about Save the Children's program in temporary shelters. A Haitian baby sits next to an improvised kitchen set up after four storms devasted areas near Port-au- Prince. Sept. 16, 2008. REUTERS/ Eduardo Munoz . Courtesy alertnet.org   Key Facts Haiti was struck by Tropical Storm Fay on Aug. 15 and 16, by Hurricane Gustav on Aug. 26, by Tropical Storm Hanna on Sept. 1 and by Hurricane Ike on Sept. 6 and 7. About 90% of crops have been destroyed in some key areas. Save the Children has been working in Haiti since 1985, primarily in the Central Plateau region and the capital city of Port-au-Prince, providing health, education, protection and food security programs to vulnerable children.     Donate now to support Save the Children's immediate and long-term response to the children and families affected by the Haiti Hurricane.