Anse-a-Galets - Haiti Observer Blog

Haiti's 2010 earthquake forced 7,500 survivors to flee to La Gonave outside Port-au-Prince, during the first 19 days after the earthquake hit. Some estimates record 20,000, which included refugees from other bomb-shelled areas.

Haiti received nine billion dollars in disaster relief and La Gonave needed a significant amount of that figure for shelter and food. But the city received almost no aid, and its population swelled to 100,000, caused by returning migrants. La Gonave is one of 12 food-insufficient areas, and the food crisis has worsened since Hurricane Sandy hit in 2013, closely followed by Hurricane Isaac, both destroying its crops with flooding.

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Gonâve Island lies on the Caribbean Sea, in the Gulf of Gonâve, to the west and northwest of Port-au-Prince. It is in the La Gonâve Arrondissement, part of Ouest Department. Because the island's topography is composed mainly of limestone, it lacks sufficient vegetation, and low levels of annual rainfall bring on water shortages. La Gonâve Arrondissement is comprised of two districts, Anse-à-Galets and Pointe-à-Raquette. It has a large population of 80,000 inhabitants.

Gonâve's biggest challenge is the scarceness of its water supply. In 2005, a crisis arose when the island experienced a severe drought, bringing many aid agencies to its rescue, sealing springs and erecting rainwater tanks. They have also installed an island-wide water-transport system and dug wells to deliver water to the drought-stricken islanders. A consortium of government, non-government and non-profit organizations, churches, and other aid organizations have established the Water Platform. This body coordinates the efforts of all agencies working on Gonâve to further their work. Within two years of the drought crisis, 25 wells had been dug and more were planned.

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Anse-à-Galets, cityship in the La Gonâve Arrondissement, part of Ouest Department, is situated on the northeastern coastal area of La Gonâve Island. It is divided into six communes: Grande Source, Palma, Grand Lagon, Petite Source, Petite Anse, and Picmy.

Anse-à-Galets is renowned for its immaculate white-sand beaches. Paired with the hot and steamy clime of the island, it is a tourist magnet. Other parts of Anse-à-Galets's coastline are populated by colonies of large boulders with prominent cliff-faces dripping with abundant vegetation.

One of the few small towns to have an airport, Anse-à-Galets Airport, its airstrip plays host to charter planes arriving from Port-au-Prince. In addition, the Camp Carnages Airport, close by, helps to serve the area well.

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