CANADIAN MEDIA REVIEW ON HAITI

January 31- 2010

Canadian media Review warns that those wanting to provide assistance to Haiti should beware of under funding the reconstruction effort. Fearing that public donations will dry up over time, Emergency Architects invites donors to put some money aside to finance the reconstruction of Haiti, which will have to be delivered over many years.

But for now all effort is directed towards the emergency work, both for the humanitarian workers and architects.  The Canadian team that rushed to the site had the mandate to secure dangerous buildings against entry. "We started with health centers, hospitals, operating rooms, but also some administrative buildings such as schools and universities," said Alice Moreira. Then, in the second step, we will tackle the reconstruction planning."

“To avoid reconstruction mistakes made elsewhere, such as prefabricated houses sent in haste but never assembled, buildings unrelated to the needs and culture of the place, not employing local people in the reconstruction, donors paying external construction companies that redirect funds back to their own countries must be avoided. Emergency Architects recommends acting quickly but intelligently and defines its actions as assisting Haitians where asked with each step of their recovery process collaboratively.”

Francis Cardinal

Please click here to read the full article.


UIA COMMENTS ON HAITI

January 21- 2010

During its meeting in Sydney, Australia, on 17 and 18 January 2010, the UIA Council expressed its heartfelt emotion following the earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12. Stressing the importance of prevention measures and particularly the specific construction methods that must be mastered by architects and applied to all buildings constructed in areas at risk, the UIA Council invited architects worldwide and its Member Sections to contact humanitarian organisations present in the area in order to offer their help to the people of Haiti.

The UIA fully supports the initiatives of the Emergency Architects Foundation that since 15 January has set up, in Haiti, an action team composed of experts from France, the West Indies and Canada. The task facing them is the technical evaluation of the damaged buildings to guarantee the safety of the population as rapidly as possible.

UIA President and EAA Patron had this to say: "ICOMOS has asked UIA to help them ensure that any historic/heritage buildings that can be saved are assessed properly before they are demolished if they are in a state where nothing can be done at all to salvage them. It would  UIA hope that  Emergency Architects assessment teams can also look at this aspect of assessment. There will be little of anything left and if some of the important cultural buildings can remain, even if they have extensive damage, it will give the local     community some confidence in their future, which must seem to them impossible at the moment. You are all doing a great job, thank you. When we can help further please let me know."

Click here to view the recent appeal from the UIA to support the efforts of Emergency Architects.


EA NEWSFLASH FROM HAITI

January 19- 2010

The team of Emergency Architects arrived on 15th January and is now hard at work in Haiti on mission to assistance to population affected by the earthquake of January 12, 2010.The team comprises:
- 2 French architect (Patrick Coulombel and Serge Gunot), arrived Friday 15/01 in Port au Prince.
- 2 logistic support and administration, arrived Monday, January 18, 2010 in Port au Prince
- 2 Emergency Architects Canada, arrived Monday, January 18, 2010 in Port au Prince

The team is housed on the lawn of the Embassy of France in Port au Prince and a French journalist and a Canadian journalist permanently accompany the team on their assessments for the field trips to monitor assistance given in the zone. Please note that EAA wont be sending volunteers to join the EA field until requested and unless they speak fluent French.

Please click here to view the latest on the EA Canada website.


REPORT FROM HAITI

January 18- 2010

"EA has an assessment team in Haiti. Since there is nothing there, we have to supply them with food and drinking water. They live in tents. At this moment their work is the surveying of the buildings that still stand to see if they are still structurally sound and if it is possible to repair some for use. But they do what everybody does: dig to find any survivors and bodies.  It is very hard to contact anybody over there since there are almost no buildings, no address nor any streets left. Our contact there is the mayor of Port-au- Prince, but I don't know yet where they have installed their provisional City Hall.  I will enquire about any existence of an association of architects and let you know as soon as I get the information.

What we need the most is money and volunteers. I was dreaming that if all the architects who are members of the UIA could give just $10.00 each, that would mean around $15,000,000. That would be great. Here in Montréal and Québec City, we have contacted all the major offices of architects and they are collecting money among their members and among the smaller offices as well. Here, in Canada every dollar that is collected through an organisation like EA Canada for Haiti and that is doubled up by the Government of Canada."
Paul-André Tétreault

URGENT APPEAL FOR DONATIONS TO PROVIDE RELIEF AND BUILDING ASSESSMENTS

January 13-2009

On January 12 At 16:53 local time, a huge earthquake of magnitude 7 struck near Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, causing a "major disaster" in the poorest country in the Americas causing the death of possibly up to 100,000 people, many more severely injured and destruction of most shelter and infrastructure.

The needs are enormous and very urgent.  We appeal for your donations for this emergency to a total of AUD 300 000 to help the thousands of victims without shelter for the massive future reconstruction projects that will be needed. Thank you for supporting our work. Your contribution is absolutely vital.  Without public support, the valuable work our EA Field Staff do would be impossible.   More importantly your support demonstrates solidarity with people in need. 

  

Want to know how you can help? Emergency Architects Australia is looking for volunteers, members and sponsors to support our work. Connect with likeminded professionals at our events, volunteer your expertise at home and abroad. We are looking for built environment professionals, fundraisers and others to contribute. Become a member today!

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