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Photos show Haitians struggling for basic necessities a week after a devastating earthquake that killed at least 2,189 people

Photos show Haitians struggling for basic necessities a week after a devastating earthquake that killed at least 2,189 people

Sarah Al-Arshani

Men scuffle over a plastic tarp taken from a truck loaded with humanitarian aid the Viljoint neighborhood in Les Cayes, Haiti, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021.Matias Delacroix/AP Photo

A week after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, some parts of Haiti have yet to receive aid, CNN reported.
Aid has been slow to reach areas worst affected by the quake, The AP reported.
The slow pace has made some desperate, resulting in theft from aid groups.

Haitians are desperate for resources almost a week after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit the country.

Rescue workers help a woman and a boy from a US Army MH-60 helicopter after arriving at Port-au-Prince-Toussaint Louverture International Airport, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021, from a medical evacuation flight bringing people injured in the recent 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Haiti. Wilfredo Lee/P Photo

Some Haitians in need of aid swarmed around relief trucks on Friday and in some instances stole goods, The Associated Press reported.

The New York Times reported that residents were struggling as aid slowly trickled in.

Fights broke out in Les Cayes, a city in the south of the country that was hit hard by the earthquake on Friday.

Residents overtake a truck loaded with relief supplies in Vye Terre, Haiti, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. Fernando Llano/AP Photo

The fights broke out as residents tried to get cash donations from the bodyguards of visiting former President Michel Martelly, the Times reported.

Martelly was visiting a hospital with supplies.

The earthquake has killed at least 2,189 people.

Residents reach out for a bag of donated rice near a truck loaded with relief supplies in Vye Terre, Haiti, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. Fernando Llano/AP Photo

The August 14 earthquake also left more than 12,000 injured and damaged or destroyed over 100,000 homes, the AP reported.

Survivors say they've been waiting for help for days.

A woman cries at a hospital in Les Cayes, Haiti, Aug. 18, 2021. David de la Paz/Xinhua via Getty Images

Sophonie Numa, 23, told the AP her home was destroyed.

"I have been here since yesterday, not able to do anything," Numa, who waited outside an international aid distribution site in the hard-hit Camp-Perrin commune told the AP. "I have other people waiting for me to come back with something."

Some remote parts of the country have yet to receive aid.

Haitians recover items after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck the country on August 18, 2021 in Les Cayes, Haiti. Richard Pierrin/Getty Images

CNN reported that damage could be seen on dozens of structures in the remote Grande Cayemite but sources said no one has come to help.

CNN's Matt Rivers, who reported from a helicopter flying above the island, said there was no safe place for any helicopter or plane to land in the remote area, making it difficult to deliver resources.

Most donations are private initiatives.

A man walks on a damaged road, after the earthquake that took place on August 14th, in Marceline, near Les Cayes, Haiti August 20, 2021. Henry Romero/Reuters

While authorities in Les Cayes gave out resources donated by around six countries, the bulk of the aid that has been distributed is from private initiatives, the Times reported.

The outlet said most efforts came from better-off locals or were organized by Haitian diaspora groups.

The desperation and lack of aid has led some residents to steal necessities.

A girl eyes the camera as she walks away with a package she was able to obtain when a truck loaded with relief supplies was overtaken by residents, in Vye Terre, Haiti, Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. Fernando Llano/AP Photo

The earthquake destroyed food sources for poor Haitians.

Jean-Michel Saba, an official with the country's civil protection agency, told the AP some people in Les Cayes stole food that was meant to be distributed.

Theft mostly began on Friday as residents grew more frustrated with the slow pace of aid.

Local residents sleep outside their houses near the Camp Perrin River after the earthquake in Les Cayes, Haiti, Aug. 18, 2021. David de la Paz/Xinhua via Getty Images

The Times also reported that some stole sleeping mats from a truck at the Red Cross compound.

Gang violence is getting in the way of aid reaching where it is most needed.

A resident searches through the rubble of destroyed houses, after the earthquake that took place on August 14th, in Marceline, near Les Cayes, Haiti August 20, 2021. Henry Romero/Reuters

Les Cayes is normally only a four-hour drive from Haiti's capital but gang violence and residents who rush aid trucks along the route have made it harder for resources to reach their destinations, the Times reported.

Haiti is already also struggling with the coronavirus and the aftermath of the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.

People walk on a damaged road, after the earthquake that took place on August 14th, in Marceline, near Les Cayes, Haiti August 20, 2021. Henry Romero/Reuters

Moïse was killed on July 7 at his private home in Port-au-Prince. His assassination led to a power vacuum and a rise in gang violence.