Overview:
Nearly three months after Hurricane Melissa devastated Petit-Goâve, dozens of families remain homeless or living in unsafe conditions. Victims say government aid and humanitarian assistance have fallen short, leaving them struggling to rebuild and calling for urgent intervention, including river dredging to prevent future disasters.
PETIT-GOÂVE, Haiti — Nearly three months after Hurricane Melissa tore through southern Haiti, families in Petit-Goâve— a municipality about 42 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, hardest hit by the storm— say they have been largely left to fend for themselves.
Many survivors remain homeless, sheltering with relatives, inside churches or in municipal buildings, as damaged homes sit uncleared and unsafe. Residents say assistance from the government and humanitarian organizations has been uneven, insufficient or nonexistent in some cases.
Following the devastating storm, central government authorities issued checks of 250,000 gourdes — about $1,900 — to families who lost relatives, covering funeral expenses and a collective burial held Nov. 15. Beyond that, many victims say they received little or no support.
“I’ve lost everything. I’m surviving thanks to my loved ones. No authority has contacted us since the funeral.”
Adérose Poinvilus, grandmother and local food vendor
“We’re living in extreme hardship,” said Adérose Poinvilus, 67, a mother of eight whose home was nearly destroyed. “I’ve lost everything. I’m surviving thanks to my loved ones.”
Poinvilus said floodwaters from the La Digue River destroyed part of her house, ripping off doors, collapsing walls and burying rooms in rubble. She also lost the father of four of her children, who was swept away while trying to help her during the flooding.
Residents in Petit-Goâve show the extent of the damage caused by Hurricane Melissa on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, as they plead with authorities for assistance nearly three months after the deadly storm. Photo by Daniella Saint-Louis for The Haitian Times.
“Some houses were cleared with tractors, but mine was left like this,” she said. “I spoke on the radio many times, but nothing changed.”
On Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2025, Adérose Poinvilus, a 67-year-old mother of eight, who lost the father of four of her children when he came to her aid during the hurricane, showed the damage to her home caused by the hurricane and denounced the lack of support from the authorities. Her house was nearly destroyed. She is now left to fend for herself, condemning the authorities’ cruelty, which, according to her, exacerbated the damage caused by Hurricane Melissa. Video by Daniella Saint-Louis for The Haitian Times.
Mounds of debris and dirt, flooding fears, aid gaps and uneven distribution
During a visit by The Haitian Times on Jan. 6, debris and garbage still filled several flooded homes, while others had been reduced to unrecognizable foundations. Although heavy machinery partially cleared the La Digue River and nearby bridge, excavated soil was piled along the riverbanks and on both sides of the roadway.
Residents say the mounds pose a serious flood risk if heavy rains return.
“They just moved the dirt next to the houses,” said Valière Chéry, whose mother’s home was among those “cleared.”
“It was only for show.”
Victims are now demanding urgent action, including dredging the river, repairing the bridge and installing gabions to stabilize the riverbanks and prevent future disasters.
Some residents say they survived only through the help of neighbors.
“I didn’t even have a pot to cook,” Poinvilus said. “A neighbor gave me one.”
She said she received no assistance beyond funeral support and a few sheets. Others echoed similar complaints, even as humanitarian groups reported large-scale interventions.
Ali Gagaré, head of the World Food Programme sub-office in nearby Miragoâne, told The Haitian Times that the WFP assisted about 10,600 families in Petit-Goâve between early November and late December.
The aid was delivered in two phases. During the first phase, 5,341 families across six communal sections received food kits. In the second phase, 1,968 families received electronic vouchers worth 15,600 gourdes (about $120), while 3,291 others received additional food kits.
“It’s difficult to satisfy everyone,” Gagaré said. “But we worked to support the most vulnerable, despite the end of the hurricane response period.”
He said the WFP coordinated its efforts with Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency, the mayor’s office, Communal Section Administrative Council (CASEC) and community leaders.
Still, residents say distribution was poorly organized. Some families received multiple cards for aid, while others received nothing. Several victims said shelters were distributed to people whose homes were not destroyed.
Lives upended amid questions of accountability
Molène Clergé, 28, a shopkeeper and mother of one, said her house was completely destroyed while she was staying with a relative.
“My house is completely destroyed. They distributed shelters, but I haven’t received anything.”
Molène Clergé, mother of one
“People came, took my name, but I haven’t received anything,” she said.
Others described similar frustrations. Phara Pierre, a mother of six, said her 16-year-old daughter was injured while trying to escape floodwaters with a toddler cousin, who was swept away and killed.
“My house is gone, and I received nothing,” Pierre said. “I paid for hospital care myself.”
The tropical storm struck Haiti in late October, strengthening into a Category 5 hurricane before causing widespread destruction in the Caribbean. At least 43 people were killed nationwide, including 25 in Petit-Goâve, according to partial government figures. Nearly 12,000 homes were flooded, with at least 176 destroyed.
Residents say the disaster was worsened by months of inaction. The La Digue River had been clogged with embankments long before the storm, they said, despite repeated warnings.
“Equipment was here for months, but nothing was done,” Chéry said. “After the disaster, they cleared it in a week. This could have been avoided.”
Local officials declined to comment. The CASEC for the 12th Communal Section, Nozalito Soliman, said he was unwilling to speak to the press. Petit-Goâve has been led by two deputy mayors, Marthe Jocelyn Noël and Paulmy Mascary, since Mayor Jean-Bertrand Subrême’s death in December. They have not responded to requests for comment about the situation of the victims and their recovery plan for the area.
For survivors like Poinvilus, frustration has turned into despair.
“We paid the price for their negligence,” she said. “And now we’re still waiting for basic help the government has failed to provide.”
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