How You Can Help Haiti's Flood Victims

Jeanne has claimed at least 700 lives in Haiti and destroyed homes and farms, but its impact has been greatly exacerbated by the underlying problems of deforestation and poverty.

The Red Cross is sending a plane carrying 5,000 blankets, 1,100 hygiene kits and 900 kitchen sets to meet the immediate needs of people on the island, many of whom have been made homeless. It has also launched a £1.8m emergency appeal to provide further support for Jeanne's victims.

"Many people have lost everything and we urgently need to provide food, shelter and clean water. Thousands of families have had their homes ruined or destroyed and the floodwaters have contaminated the water supply," said British Red Cross expert on the region Philippe Puyo-Tschanz.

"It's vital that clean water is provided to prevent this disaster becoming a public health crisis."

The British Red Cross is also running a Caribbean appeal to assist people in the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Haiti, Grenada and Cuba who have been affected by the recent hurricanes.

People can donate by calling 0870 169 9191, or by writing to Caribbean Hurricane Appeal, British Red Cross, FREEPOST, London, SW1X 7BR.

Oxfam is concentrating efforts on setting up supplies of clean water for survivors whose homes and livelihoods have been destroyed by the storm.

"We will concentrate as a priority on helping the people most in need now by providing clean water and sanitation to keep them alive and stop the spread of disease," said Yolette Etienne, the Oxford-based charity's programme manager in Haiti.

Christian Aid is focusing its work on long-term development. It works with partner organisations to shore up the rural economy and discourage migration. The organisation warns that unless the underlying problems of deforestation and poverty in Haiti are tackled, tropical storms and hurricanes will continue to have a devastating effect.

"Extreme poverty forces people to migrate in search of work and many are living in makeshift shelters. Parts of Haiti are very mountainous and the most vulnerable tend to live on steep hillsides or in ravines," said Helen Spraos, Christian Aid's field officer in Haiti.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is delivering emergency food aid to the thousands of Haitians who have lost their homes and possessions in the floods. In the past three days, the agency has delivered 93 metric tons of rice, beans and oil - enough to feed some 30,000 people for seven days - to Gonaives.

"WFP provides food to more than 500,000 hungry people in Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere. With flood waters washing away most people's means to cook, WFP is also supplying ready-to-eat rations, including thousands of loaves of bread and hi-energy biscuits," a spokesman for the programme said.