In Maniche, a small town in Haiti’s earthquake-decimated southwest, Mayor Jean David Brinard is still calling for help he fears may never arrive for survivors of the quake that killed nearly 200 people in his town. 

Nine days after the 7.2 magnitude earthquake on Aug. 14, Brinard’s calls to outside officials for help have not been answered sufficiently, he says. On Saturday, representatives of Haiti’s central government flew by helicopter into Maniche, about 14 miles north of Les Cayes, to assess the damage to roads, houses, churches and schools.

“These are preliminary damage reports, until now several small villages in Maniche are still inaccessible and the government helicopter could not go there to assess the damages because the roads are blocked,” Brinard said.

The visit from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Communication has not been fruitful yet. They promise tents and tarpaulins for 500 families, the Brinard said. He is worried that the number is far from the help needed in the surrounding localities, where roads are blocked.

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