The Haitian government, humanitarian agencies and the UN mission in Haiti are teaming up in response to approaching Hurricane Tomas, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said here Monday.

The storm could affect up to an estimated half a million people, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Contingency plans are initiated, stocks mobilized and gaps and needs are identified over the weekend, in addition to managing the ongoing responses to the cholera epidemic and the earthquake.

Currently food supplies sufficient to feed 1.1 million Haitians for six weeks are pre-positioned in the most vulnerable areas across the country by the World Food Program.

Also, warnings are being sent out via SMS and radio to all in camps and a large scale public information campaign with focus on camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) is under way.

After a major earthquake in January, a cholera epidemic broke out killing scores of people in central Haiti.