Our teams on the ground continue to make amazing progress. I find their work and dedication toward building disaster resilience in their communities to be incredibly inspiring.
One recent major highlight was our Haiti team organizing CAP-WAVE 2022, an earthquake and tsunami drill in Cap-Haitien in northern Haiti. The evacuation included over 4,000 schoolchildren whose schools are within the tsunami inundation zone, as well as over 200 participants citywide, including Civil Protection, firefighters, police, Red Cross, City Council and other public and private institutions.
In addition to being a successful training and awareness exercise, it was also the 1st Haitian-led earthquake and tsunami drill. I am incredibly proud of our local team for their dedication and leadership in making this a reality.
Here are some highlights:
The drill/simulation was conducted as part of the 180th anniversary of the May 7, 1842 earthquake & tsunami that struck northern Haiti, killing half the population of Cap-Haitien at the time.
The team conducted extensive outreach via radio, video, sound truck, & social media alerting residents of the upcoming drill, while the Kids in Action students created this mural with key safety messages on tsunami evacuation.
Inclusion was an integral part of the exercise. Representing the Departmental Office for Disabled Persons, the woman pictured above who uses a wheelchair highlighted the importance of including differently-abled people. She evacuated as part of the drill.
Participants with simulated injuries tested the coordination, reaction times, and response capacity of first responders. Over 100 students posed as fake victims and acted the part during the drill, catching the attention of many community members.
National experts, as well as Civil Protection Directors from northern and southern Haiti were key contributors and participants. The visiting Directors have expressed interest in conducting similar drills/exercises in their departments.
Multiple debriefings and evaluation sessions were conducted after the drill. Over 30 official independent evaluators from multiple organizations participated. They are writing a report with their findings to help improve coordination and response.
Our GHI Haiti team during the drill, "SIMEX, CAP-WAVE 2022”. We are inspired by their incredible leadership and dedication. From left: Gefthé Dévilmé, Arnel Auguste, Garmalia Mentor-William, Windy Previl, and Jean-Brunel Pierre.
To the many people who support our efforts —
MÈSI ANPIL!!
(Haitian Creole for Thank You Very Much!!)
Kindly,
Veronica Cedillos, President & CEO
GeoHazards International
Bhutan · Dominican Republic · Haiti · India · Nepal · U.S.A.
