In September, 2008, GlobalMedic deployed a four man Rapid Response Team to areas in Haiti affected by a very destructive hurricane season. The RRT distributed and installed 10 Trekker Water Purification Units, 1 Explorer Water Purification Unit and 1 million Aquatab Water Purification Tablets in the towns of Cabaret, Jacmel, Meyer, Lafond, Amba Lavie, Anse D’hainault, Cavaillon.
The Aquatabs will purify 1 million litres of clean drinking water. The Water Purification Units have the capacity to provide 45,000 people with clean drinking water everyday.
Please see Activity Log below:
Cabaret (Ouest) – September 11, 2008
Ike’s torrential rains caused the Bretelle River to breach its banks and flood the entire city of Cabaret. As a result GlobalMedic has donated and installed 2 Trekker water purification units in the town of Cabaret, providing clean drinking water for 2,000 people a day. Another Trekker unit has been donated and installed with a church group Emmanuel International in the area, providing an additional 1,000 people a day with clean drinking water.
200,000 Aquatabs have also been donated to the town, enough to clean 200,000 litres of water. An additional 50,000 Aquatabs have been left with Immanuel International a local church group, enough to clean 50,000 litres of water.
Jacmel (Sud-Est) – September 13 – 15, 2008
As a result of flooding in Jacmel and the surrounding area, GlobalMedic has donated and installed an Explorer water purification unit, providing enough clean drinking water for between 30,000 to 40,000 persons daily. 4 trekker water purification units have also been installed; these will provide an additional 4,000 people with clean drinking water each day.
500,000 Aquatab water purification tablets have also been donated; enough to purify 500,000 litres of water. An additional 50,000 Aquatabs will purify 50,000 litres of water at a local orphanage.
GlobalMedic will be focusing its activities in the regions of Meyer, Lafond and Amba Lavie around the area of Jacmel where an estimated 30,000 families have been affected.
Anse D’hainault (Grande-Anse) – September 14, 2008
GlobalMedic has donated and installed a Trekker water purification unit in the town of Anse D’hainault which will provide clean drinking water for 1,000 people a day. 50,000 Aquatabs have also been donated, enough to clean 50,000 litres of water
Cavaillon – September 14, 2008
Globalmedic has donated and installed a Trekker water purification unit in the town of Cavillon which will provide clean drinking water for 1,000 people a day. 50,000 Aquatabs have also been donated, enough to clean 50,000 litres of water.
The members of the RRT while personally distributing the assets and equipment in to the noted locations trained personnel on the proper operations of the equipment so that they could continue to support their communities
On the last day in country the team checked in with the noted communities to confirm that operations were continuing successfully and to assess the potential future needs.
September 13, 2007
GlobalMedic’s team attended the town of Jacmel located on the south coast of Haiti, approximately 2 hrs from Port Au Prince. The team met with a local community group and the Mayor of Jacmel. They had identified locations within the town and surrounding parishes that was in need of clean drinking water. The team first attended a town water distribution pump and found that the water was clear but contaminated. GlobalMedic trained staff from the community station that was in proximity to the water station and distributed 100,000 aquatabs at this location to support continuous water purification.
The Rapid Response Team then proceeded to a location that had been devastated by the flood, in some locations the water had risen to 6 feet. The team set up at the river that had been the source of the flood water. GlobalMedic set up two trekkers and one explorer and distributed clean drinking water to a community of over 7,000 families.
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September 12, 2008
The members of the Rapid Response Team responded to the Town of Cabaret. This town of over 70,000 people was one of the worst affected communities after the hurricane. The Rapid Response team met with the Mayor of the town and set up at the local river where people have been going to get water since the disaster. The RRT set up the Explorer and a Trekker and started providing the community with clean water while also distributing Aquatabs to those in immediate need. The team was able to produce clean drinking water and distributed 50,000 Aquatabs.
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September 8, 2008
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.
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