GlobalMedic Deploys a Rapid Response Team to Haiti

• GlobalMedic
• 2008 Sept 11

On August 16, 2008 Tropical Storm Fay hit Haiti, followed by Hurricane Gustav on August 26, Hurricane Hanna on September 2, and Hurricane Ike on September 7. Flooding from Tropical Storm Hanna killed at least 500 people around the port city of Gonaives. On Sunday, rain from Hurricane Ike was causing the La Quinte River to rise again and floodwaters were seeping back into Gonaives. All of the bridges linking the city to the rest of the country have collapsed. Cut off for several days from the rest of the country, deprived of water and food, Gonaives' 350,000 residents have been the hardest hit by the storms. More than de 60,000 people are without shelter in the region around Gonaives.

Across the country, at least 630 people have died. An estimated 250,000 families, about 1 million people, have been affected. 100,000 people are being housed in temporary shelters and another 150,000 are still in need of humanitarian assistance and shelter. Thousands of homes have been destroyed or damaged, and crops and livestock have been wiped out.

GlobalMedic is deploying 4 members of its Rapid Response Team to the region. The team will carry 11 water purification systems capable of providing over 40,000 people with clean drinking water daily and 1 million water purification tablets. The water purification systems include an Explorer unit capable of providing 64 litres per minute of clean drinking water to be used in high density areas. 10 portable briefcase sized trekker units produce 4 litres a minute and are going to be installed in isolated areas where displaced persons are seeking refuge including schools and churches.

The team will include Durham Regional Police Officer Richard Fantinato a 20 year veteran police officer who served in Haiti in 2006 as part of a United Nations Civilian Policing (UN CIVPOL) contingent training Haitian law enforcement officers as part of Canada’s efforts to rebuild the troubled Caribbean nation.

About GlobalMedic
The David McAntony Gibson Foundation (DMGF) is a registered Canadian charity based in Toronto, Ontario that runs capacity building programs in post-conflict nations and provides disaster relief services to large scale catastrophes around the world. DMGF’s operational arm, GlobalMedic, deploys a Rapid Response Team that is capable of running search and rescue operations, providing civilians with access to clean drinking water, and uses inflatable field hospitals to restore medical infrastructure. Global Medic teams have responded to countless disasters, the past year alone teams have deployed to Pakistan, Bangladesh, Peru, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Burma, and China. The Team is comprised of front line emergency workers who volunteer their time to train and deploy out to save lives.

For more information visit us online at www.globalmedic.ca