Haiti Response 2010
In February/March 2010 I took leave from work and went to Haiti as a member of the American Red Cross Information Technology and Telecommunications Emergency Response Unit. I worked with the Danish Red Cross and Spanish Red Cross in support of Red Cross and Red Crescent activities in Haiti.
View my three weekly updates I sent while in Haiti
Maps |
Base Camp - Early Photos |
Base Camp - Later Photos |
Delmas |
Leogane
Moulin Sur Mer (day off) | Obleon | Orlofson (lunch) | Petit Goave | Various Installations
Moulin Sur Mer (day off) | Obleon | Orlofson (lunch) | Petit Goave | Various Installations
Maps
These maps were made in Google Earth from my GPS. These are some of the sites I visited while in Haiti. Most of my time was spend in PaP but I made trips to different parts of the city and other parts of the country.
Base Camp - Early Photos
These photos of the base camp were taken before I arrived. This was going to be a Hilton hotel but the construction was halted before the hotel was finished. The concrete shell was all that was completed - no windows, doors, or utilities. Most of the grass outside was eventually bulldozed and covered with rocks to reduce dust and mud.
Base Camp - Later Photos
The base camp was more developed after I arrived. You can see the tents (some for sleeping, others for kitchens or administration). The orange "caution barrier" shows the border between the Italian- and Danish-managed sections.
This was the typical breakfast in the Italian camp - toast, butter, jam, and a beverage.
This is where I spent a good amount of time fixing computers.
The Shelter group was building a prototype housing structure to get people out of tents and make-shift shelters
We spent some long days on the top of the hotel and surrounding structures to wire the building. Bo, from the Denmark, climbs this tower while I feed him cable from the top of the hotel.
Delmas VHF Installation
The German Red Cross had a hospital and basic health care unit in PaP. This is the basic health care unit in Delmas. I went there with Fermin of the Spanish Red Cross to install a VHF base station. We bolted the mast to a cinder block we put in the ground. The mast was about 25 ft tall.
Leogane VSAT Installation
A VSAT was installed to improve Internet access in remote sites.
Moulin Sur Mer (day off)
For our day off a small group of us went to a hotel on the beach north of PaP. I was mostly excited for hot shower, but the swim and buffet lunch was nice too. This was the only real day off I had while in Haiti. I was sick one day and went out for lunch two other times. We also visited a nearby museum showing the history of the area as a sugar cane farm.
Obleon
VHF repeaters were installed to improve the range of radio communication.
Orlofson (lunch)
One of the few lunches I enjoyed outside of base camp was at a hotel in the City. I had chittale (sp?), which was a seafood cake, and steak. I also enjoyed the bottles of coke.
Petit Goave
Various Installations