On 25 August, UN agencies and partners launched a US$187.3 million Flash Appeal to reach 500,000 of the most vulnerable people affected by the 14 August earthquake. Around 650,000 people are in need of emergency humanitarian assistance in the three most affected departments – Grand’Anse, Nippes and Sud – where 634,000 were already in need of multisectoral assistance before the quake. Based on lessons learned from past emergencies, humanitarian actors are aiming to capitalize on local and national level expertise, capacities and knowledge to promote a rapid and effective response tailored to the expressed needs of affected people.