UNICEF/UN035028/Moreno Gonzalez
On 8 October 2016, Big waves caused by Hurricane Matthew destroyed the whole coastline of Jeremie, a town in the Garnd-Anse Department, Haiti, flooding and destroying hundreds of homes. Hurricane Matthew has put the lives of millions of children in Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and Dominican Republic in danger. In Haiti, it is estimated that half a million children live in the most affected areas by the Hurricane, particularly in Grand-Anse and the South. Hurricane Matthew passed over Haiti on Tuesday October 4, 2016, with heavy rains and winds. While the capital Port au Prince was mostly spared from the full strength of the class 4 hurricane, the western area of Grand Anse, however was in the direct path. The cities of Les Cayes and Jeremie received the full force sustaining wind and water damage across wide areas. Coastal towns were severely damaged as were many homes in remote mountainous regions. International relief efforts are underway to provide food water and shelter to the people affected by the storm.

The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has awarded funding for the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) to lead the Multi-Hazard Research Network, initially covering a three‑year programme, to strengthen decision-making before, during and after crises.

The new Multi-Hazard Research Network (MHRN) funding from the FCDO will extend the work of the Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform (SSHAP) to include a wider range of disciplinary expertise for response and a more extensive hazard focus, including natural hazards in addition to health.

The MHRN will have a cross-cutting focus on people-centred approaches and cascading and compounding hazards, thus embedding interdisciplinarity as a core principle. Expansion of the network aims to foreground equitable partnership and regional expertise in responding to emergencies.

The MHRN is contributing to the UK Government’s response to the current Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). These activities are drawing on prior research and response work, including on community-level preparedness and trust, delivered through SSHAP, which was previously supported by FCDO, Wellcome Trust and UNICEF. Several of SSHAP’s regional partners are members of the MHRN and are contributing to these response activities.

Read the UK Government press release.

Read the IDS announcement.