STUDIES ON THE IMPACTS OF FLOODS IN HAITI AND THEIR ADAPTATION STRATEGIES

Abstract

Haiti is one of the Caribbean countries most vulnerable to flooding, and its resilience to natural hazards is considerably reduced over time. This situation appears to be aggravated by human activities that accelerate the process of environmental degradation. In methodological terms, we first analyzed the process of environmental degradation at the level of the 10 Haitian departments using Google Earth images, processed by the National Center for Geospatial Information (CNIGS). Software such as Word and Flood Map were used for data collection and analysis. The results clearly show that Haiti is at high risk of flooding. In the context of this study, 90% of the population lives in an area of ​​less than 1 ha. The lack of a public policy for land use planning and demographic pressure has largely contributed to the degradation of the environment that causes flooding.