Canada's minister of international co-operation wants aid groups working in Haiti to prepare for the next phase of the relief effort: the rainy season, which begins in April.

Makeshift shelters like these, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, are a top concern of relief workers in advance of the country's rainy season, which begins in April. (Charles Trainor Jr./Miami Herald/Associated Press)

Bev Oda said during a meeting of the International Red Cross in Montreal that organizations will need to focus on longer-term reconstruction projects, particularly shelter.

Heavy rains have already hit parts of the country and it is only a matter of time before the devastated capital of Port-au-Prince receives torrential downpours.

The two-day summit brings together Red Cross societies from 27 countries, including Haiti and Canada, aiming to set short- and long-term plans of action for relief efforts following the Jan. 12 deadly earthquake.

Red Cross officials say they hope to stabilize the country by providing longer-term shelter ahead of the rains.

New weather station needed

Also on Tuesday, the United Nations' World Meteorological Organization called "the restoration of basic operational meteorological services" a key objective in the next six to 12 months.

It estimates it will cost $1 million US to build new office space to house meteorological operations — which were otherwise destroyed in the quake — to replace computers and communication systems and restore automated weather stations and backup generators. Meteorological staff will also need hands-on training, the WMO said.

Over 90 per cent of disasters in Haiti are linked to frequent meteorological, hydrological and climate-related hazards, including tropical cyclones, floods and mudslides, the WMO said.

With files from The Canadian Press